Not Another One?
by SerenBex
Summary: Katy's mum has died and she's been left alone. Trouble appears to be following her around. And what she wants more than anything is to make her newly discovered relationship with the Mitchells work. Rating changed to T to be safe!
1. Chapter 1

A teenage girl made her way out of the tube station. She adjusted the straps on the large backpack she was wearing and moved the smaller shopping bag further up her forearm. Katy watched a police car speeding past and turned to glance in the direction the car had come from. Three men in mechanics overalls were staring after the vehicle.

One of them, tough-looking and bald, watched the teenage girl. They made eye contact for a moment before the teenager turned her back on him and walked away in the direction of the Vic. She guessed that the pub would be the centre of the community and that was why she headed there first.

Katy stood on the square for a moment looking at the Vic silently before walking into the gardens. Another teenage girl was sitting, crying, on the bench. Warily Katy sat down beside her. Neither spoke or acknowledged the other for a few minutes.

"Here" Katy said quietly, handing the other girl a tissue. She smiled as the girl accepted it, thanking her. "You all right?"

"I will be." The girl said with a shrug. "It's just, trouble at home, family stuff you know?"

"Not really. It was only mum and me… but she died about 2 months ago." Katy told her with a shrug, looking away as she said it.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" The girl started to say, but Katy stopped her; she had had enough sympathy to last her a while.

"Nah, don't be. She had… problems. She's probably better off where she is. Anyway, I'm more interested in what's bothering you. Mum, dad, siblings?" Other people's families fascinated her, maybe because it had only really been her and her Mum.

"I live with my step-mum, Bianca, actually. And my sister and brothers. My dad died, when my sister, Tiff, was a baby. But it's not really about them." The girl said, looking a little lost. The girls sat in silence for a few minutes, each thinking about their own problems.

"Sorry, you don't want me butting into your business. I'm just too curious for my own good sometimes. Mum always said it would get me into trouble one day." Katy said apologetically. She knew how annoying it could be when people intruded on private thoughts.

"No, don't go. It's OK." The girl said hurriedly as Katy stood up to leave. "I need someone to talk to; a friend." Katy hesitated as the girl smiled at her imploringly. Then she sat down, making the girl smile more broadly. "What's your name? I'm Whit, Whitney Dean."

"Hi Whitney. I'm Katy. I could do with a friend right now too." She admitted as the two sat side by side, slouched on the bench with their legs stretched out in front of them.

"Because of your mum?" Whitney asked curiously.

"Amongst other things." Was the short reply that she was given. Katy glanced, unwillingly towards the pub, her eyes drawn to it. Whitney seemed to notice because she looked over as well.

"So why have you come to Walford? Have you got family here or something? Your dad?" She asked.

"That's what I'm here to find out!" Katy told her with a wry smile. Whitney furrowed her brow slightly and gave a confused smile, intrigued by Katy's evasive answers.


	2. Chapter 2

The two girls walked towards Whitney's house, laughing and chatting. It was almost as though they had known each other for a lot longer than ten minutes or so. They had already found out that Katy was only two days older than Whitney and that they had a lot in common. They stopped at the gate.

"Is there anywhere cheap to stay around here? I haven't really got much cash." Katy said, almost looking ashamed to admit it.

"There's the B&B," Whitney said, pointing to the red-brick building. Then she put her hand on Katy's arm, looking excited. "But… hey! Why don't you stay with us? You can share with me and Tiff."

"Oh! No. I wasn't hinting or anything." The older girl said, putting her hands up and backing away slightly. The one thing she hated, and had had to deal with lately, more than sympathy was charity.

"I know you weren't. Come on. It'll be fine. Bianca won't mind."

"Seriously, I really don't want to intrude." Katy wasn't sure that staying with Whitney and her family was such a good idea. From what little she knew about big families, from her friends and theirs, parents liked a lot of notice when their children were going to ask someone to stay. Especially if that someone was a complete stranger.

"You're not." Whitney said, grabbing Katy by the arm and pulling her up the path. She opened the front door and went inside, shouting to her stepmother as she went. "Bianca? B?"

Katy followed, warily. She glanced around as she closed the door softly behind her. It was a much bigger house than the one she had shared with her mother but, she supposed there were a lot more people living here. Katy stood awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs as Whitney made her way towards the kitchen where the shout in reply to her own had come from. Senseing her new friend hesitating, Whitney had retraced her steps and dragged Katy with her. Two women, one red-headed and, Katy guessed, in her thirties, and the other, an older woman with spectacular earrings, were sitting at the table, drinking tea and gossiping. While Whitney and the women were talking, Katy tried to make herself as invisible as possible, feeling acutely awkward.

"B, this is my friend Katy." Whitney said, stealing a biscuit off the plate on the table and moving to lean against the worktop by the fridge. "Can she stay with us for a few days? Just 'til she gets herself sorted."

"Uhhh… well… where is she going to stay Whit?" The red-head, who Katy assumed was Bianca, asked. She raised her hands as though showing her daughter that they didn't exactly live in a mansion.

"She can sleep in mine and Tiff's room." Whitney suggested with a shrug, picking at her biscuit. "She's not from around here and she doesn't have much money."

Bianca glanced at Katy and then shrugged. "I suppose it's ok... Nana Pat?" She glanced at the older woman for a second opinion. Katy could feel herself blushing as they considered her.

"Why not." The older woman said shrugging, which made her earrings jangle, in a tone that said she didn't feel she had the authority or energy to argue.

"Really, I don't want to intrude. If you just show me where the B&B is, Whit, I'll go…" Katy said, moving towards the door. She felt really awkward.

"Don't be silly, it's settled now." Whitney said with a smile.

"If you're honestly sure you don't mind?" She glanced at the two women who smiled in response. "Well, thank you so much. I'll obviously give you some money…"

Pat shook her head and smiled, but didn't comment on the teenager's offer. "So, Katy, where are you from? What brings you to Walford?"

"I'm from Mid-Wales, but my mum died about four months ago and I heard that I may have some family around here. My dad left my mum before I was born. It was a bit of a fling, really. Apparently he moved away with his daughters. They didn't want anything to do with either of us and now she's gone… well, I guess I just wanted to find someone." Katy said. She couldn't believe that she was telling these people she had just met so much about herself. Most of the time people had to prise the most basic personal information out of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, love." Pat said, looking genuinely sorry for her. Bianca was also looking rather sympathetic. Katy tried to ignore their faces. "What's your surname? Maybe we can help you find your relatives? We know most people around here!"

"Mitchell. My name's Katy Mitchell."


	3. Chapter 3

"Mitchell?" Bianca repeated, looking astonished. Katy glanced between the three females, taking note of their surprised faces. She was alarmed at their reaction to her name.

"Yes? Why? Do you know my relatives?" Katy asked. She couldn't decide whether she was nervous or excited about the possibility that they may have an idea who her family were. At least they could give her some idea about what they were like.

"We do." Pat nodded, confirming her suspicions. The teenager smiled broadly. She put her rucksack and shopping bag down and moved quickly to sit in the hard kitchen chair, leaning her elbows on the table. Her dark brown hair fell over her face and she impatiently tied it up in a messy ponytail, to keep it out of the way.

"Where can I find them?"

"Probably in the Vic." Whitney said with a shrug. She sat down in the last available chair and leant forwards as well, fixing Katy with a sharp, interested eye. "Who's your dad? And your sisters?"

"I can probably guess." Bianca muttered under her breath. She had a sour look on her face. Katy assumed that she didn't get on with the Mitchells and wondered why.

"My dad's called Archie and my sisters are called Veronica; Ronnie, and Roxy. Do you know them well? What are they like?" She was trembling with excitement now.

"Oh… we know them all right! They own Vic." Bianca said, her voice as sour as her expression. She leant backwards in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, your sisters do. Archie's dead."

"Bianca!" Pat exclaimed, seeing Katy's face fall slightly. Bianca mouthed 'what?' at her grandmother, accompanied by a shrug, but Katy didn't even notice.

"How did he die?" Katy asked quietly.

"He was murdered, Christmas Day." Whitney said, trying to break the news gently. "Someone hit him over the head with the Queen Vic Bust."

"Whit!" Pat exclaimed again, shaking her head. "He had his enemies, and Lord knows I wasn't a fan of his, but… well…" Pat attempted to think of something comforting to tell the teenager, but failed. She couldn't honestly tell the girl that the man wasn't all bad. It wouldn't be fair to her. Katy would have found out that she was lying as soon as she asked anyone about Archie.

"Oh…" Katy said with a slight nod.

So her father was dead. She was stunned to realise that she didn't feel anything at that news. She wasn't surprised, upset, angry, hurt; she wasn't anything. She nodded her head slowly. Pat, Bianca and Whitney were all looking at her in varying shades of concern. Katy smiled weakly, realising that they were all looking at her.

"Does anybody want a drink?" She offered lightly. "I mean, to say thank you for letting me stay here."

"That would be nice." Pat accepted on all their behalf's with a genuinely warm smile. "I'll get my coat."

As the older woman went into the hall and picked up her faux-fur jacket she shook her head, smiling. She knew why the teenager wanted to go for a drink and it had nothing to do with saying thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, what's it to be?" Katy asked as they entered the pub. The teenager felt a strange feeling in her chest, a jolt of familiarity and recognition; almost as though she had been there before. It was stupid, she knew, because she had never met any of her Mitchell family, except her dad once or twice purely by accident, but she felt at home in the pub.

Pat lead the way to a seat and the three other women sat down. Katy waited for their orders, feeling excited anticipation running through her. She wanted to shiver, but managed to restrain herself. Any moment she might come face to face with one of her family members.

"Gin and Tonic, ta." Bianca said, removing her silver puffer-jacket and settling herself on the padded bench.

"Same for me." Pat said with a smile and a nod.

"I'll just have a coke." Whitney said, hating the fact that she was still underage. "That's Roxy Mitchell, by the way. The woman behind the bar. The blonde one." She told Katy, pointing.

Katy took a short sharp breath as she set her eyes on her sister. Although the older woman was blonde, while Katy's hair was very dark, and her eyes were a lighter shade of blue, there was definitely a resemblance between them. As she started to make the short walk from the table to the bar, Katy almost found herself hoping that Roxy didn't notice anything odd about her.

"Right… I'll be right back." She said over her shoulder. Whitney gave her an encouraging look and Pat smiled reassuringly. Only Bianca looked less than excited for her. If anything she looked wary.

"What can I get you?" Roxy asked lazily, leaning against the rail underneath the optics. Her eyes didn't hold any recognition or suspicion at all. Katy relaxed and smiled at her.

"Two gin and tonics and two cokes, ta."

"Any ID? I've gotta ask, sorry." Roxy said, still chewing her gum. She moved forwards and held out her hand to take it.

"Yeah, course." Katy reached into her shoulder bag for her purse to get out her fake ID. Then she stopped and looked up at Roxy with a wide-eyed look. "Oh… I've forgotten my purse. Sorry." She turned as Roxy rolled her eyes and leant against the rail again, filing her nails. Closing her eyes tightly and internally screaming at herself for looking like a complete idiot the first time she met her sister, Katy went back to the table and slid into her seat.

"What happened?" Whitney asked worried. She put her hand on Katy's arm, comfortingly.

"She wanted to see my ID and I realised I couldn't show her it. I mean I've GOT ID, fake obviously, but it still has my name on it. It would have given the game away." Katy said shaking her head. She felt like such a loser. Roxy probably agreed with her.

"I'll go and get them." Pat said smiling and patting Katy on the hand. She got up and went towards the bar.

"I'll give you the money. Sorry, Mrs Evans." Katy said miserably as the woman moved away.

"Don't be silly. You stay here with B and Whit."

"Alright Pat? What can I get you?" Roxy asked. Katy was listening furiously, trying to hear what was said between the pair.

"Same as that girl just ordered." Pat said leaning on the bar. As Roxy moved to the optics, turning her back on Pat, the older woman glanced around for her friend. "Is Peggy around?"

"She's upstairs. Auntie Peg?" Roxy shouted through the doorway at the back of the door. There was a shout from upstairs and the young woman continued. "Pat wants a word."

"Alright Pat, what's wrong?" Peggy said lightly with a smile, appearing in the pub. Katy almost gasped. The woman was exactly like she had always imagined her. Along with Ronnie and Roxy, her father had apparently often spoken of Peggy to her mum. Her mum had been jealous of the Mitchell matriarch, Katy was sure about that. Archie had even demanded that Katy's middle name be Margaret, after her.

"Nothing. But could you pop round ours later? There's something you should know." Pat said cryptically. She paid Roxy, picked up their drinks and made her way to the table. Katy sneaked a look at Peggy from behind Pat and was alarmed to see that the woman was looking at her curiously. Hurriedly she thanked Pat and took a drink, emerging herself in conversation with the others at the table.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, so I rewrote this bit again now, just under a year since I first wrote it! I'm not entirely sure about how great the continuity will be from here on, because I can't remember who was in/out of EE at that point! Please bear with me!**

**Also, a massive thank you to everyone who's reviewing and adding this to their favourite stories or whatever it is! It means a lot! Please keep reviewing, I love reading what you think – good or bad!**

Whitney helped Katy settle into the bedroom she would be sharing with her and her younger sister, Tiffany. The older girl was still uncomfortable about trespassing on their hospitality, but Whitney seemed excited to have her there and it was becoming infectious. The pair were soon giggling and being silly and Katy nearly managed to forget everything.

"What's this?" Whitney asked, picking up Katy's photo album. She opened it and began flicking through, laughing at baby and childhood pictures of her new friend. Katy went very quiet, being reminded of her family and friends back home. When Whitney found the picture Archie had sent them of a nineteen-year-old Ronnie and fifteen-year-old Roxy, she stopped and held the album up to Katy.

"Yeah…" Katy said, not really wanting to talk about it, but sensing that Whitney would question her anyway. "That's the photo he sent us. I was about six-months-old at the time. Mum had it in a frame on the mantelpiece. Not that we ever got many visitors, but when we did she'd say they were her older daughters and lived with their father." The girl sighed and shook her head. "Like I said, she had problems."

Katy took the album and put it back into her rucksack. She didn't want to think about the past anymore. It only held pain and ghosts and questions she wasn't sure she wanted answered. Her life was all about the future now.

"Are you sure Tiffany won't mind me sleeping on your floor?" Katy asked. The room wasn't very big and there was just enough space for her make-shift bed on the floor between the two proper beds already in there.

"Of course she won't." Whitney said with a warm smile. "Tiff's a good kid. I just hope you don't mind early mornings!"

Never having had much self-confidence in the past, Katy was really working hard on gaining 'the Mitchell attitude' as her mother had called it. Occasionally when Katy had thrown a tantrum, her mum had put it down to her Mitchell genes. She had never really understood what that meant until she set eyes on Roxy and Peggy. Now she was starting to get a good idea.

"Tiff and Liam will be home from school soon." Whitney said, lying on her bed with a magazine. "And Morgan'll be back from nursery. You won't get any peace then!"

Katy smiled and pushed Whitney over so she could lie beside her. They began giggling again at some story and soon the awkward moment was forgotten. Katy felt like she'd known Whitney all her life. She had never really met anyone as sweet, warm-hearted and generous before. Most of her friends at home came from what the social called 'challenging families' and those who didn't acted like they did. Back home everything was about image. Here, it wasn't. For the first time in a long time, a very long time, she was truly happy. She stopped when she thought that, wondering how long it could possibly last.

"What's wrong?" Whitney asked, noticing her friend suddenly seemed down. Katy shook her head.

"Nothing… isn't it weird though, that I feel like I've known you for ages, rather than a few hours." She said.

Whitney smiled at her. "I know. Like a proper friend."


	6. Chapter 6

While Whitney and Katy were upstairs flicking through the magazine, giggling and chatting, Peggy Mitchell had arrived to talk to her old friend. She was curious as to the reason behind the strange manner in which Pat had asked her round.

"Come through." Pat said, greeting her friend and leading her into the kitchen where Bianca was sitting at the table.

"Tea?" Bianca asked, getting up and putting the kettle on. She couldn't sit still, she was too full of conflicting emotions.

"Thanks, darling." Peggy said sitting in the seat opposite the one the younger woman had just vacated. Pat sat next to her and gave her grand-daughter and nod and smile as a response to the unasked question.

The two friends chatted about every day subjects for a long time. Pat wasn't sure how to raise the subject of Katy and Peggy was enjoying being out of the pub and in different company. Bianca was awkwardly listening to their gossiping and joining in every now and then.

"No way!" Whitney laughed, bursting through the kitchen door. "How did you…" She trailed off, seeing Peggy sitting at the table. Katy saw the woman a few seconds later than her friend and her laughter took longer to stop. Her eyes went wide and she stared.

"Peggy…" Pat said cheerily. "This is Katy, she's staying with us for a while."

"Nice to meet you." Peggy said politely. She smiled and Katy felt her resolve falter. But she wasn't ready to be thrown into a situation she was wary of just yet. She needed more time to scope things out and understand Walford and her family better. She smiled at Peggy and, when the woman turned her attention back to Pat, Katy raised her eyebrows and shook her head, pleadingly. Pat widened her eyes and nodded. The teenager shook her head again.

"Katy's from Wales." Pat said, trying to draw the girl into the conversation.

"Really?" Peggy asked. "What brings you round here?"

"She's an orphan." Whitney jumped in, before Katy could even open her mouth. "But someone said she might have family round here, so she's come to find out." She grinned at the girl who just shot her a look back.

"Yeah, my mum was from round here, but she moved away when she was pregnant with me." Katy said, reluctantly. She didn't want Peggy to think she was rude; that was the last thing she wanted, especially as Roxy probably already thought she was an idiot. "My dad didn't want anything to do with me. He sent money but that was it. Now I've found out he's dead and I don't think I've ever said more than five words to him."

At the word 'dead' Peggy seemed to stiffen. Katy noticed and tried to think of something else to say to draw attention away from the subject of death. She couldn't think of anything, and shot Pat a pleading look. The older woman thought fast and opened her mouth to speak, but Peggy was already standing up to leave.

"It was nice to meet you, Katy." She said with a warm smile. She put her hand on the teenager's arm and Katy almost jumped at her touch. She managed to stop herself though and smiled, a genuine smile, back at the woman.

Pat showed her out while Katy sat at the table, resting her head in her cupped hands. None of them spoke until they heard the two women saying goodbye and the front door closing. Pat came back along the hallway and into the kitchen. She closed the door carefully behind her because Bianca's younger children were all home from school and nursery now.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Whitney asked, confused as to her friend's silence.

"I didn't know how to!" Katy protested, shaking her head. "I don't know. I don't think I'm ready yet. What if…"

"What if they reject you?" Pat said gently, finishing Katy's sentence. "I know Peggy Mitchell and she'd never turn her back on one of her own." The woman said more fiercely.

"She's right, you know." Bianca said, putting a mug of tea down heavily in front of the teenager. Some of the scolding liquid spilled over the top of the mug and ran down the sides. Rather than looking up, Katy used it as an excuse not to meet anyone's eye. She ran her finger along the river left by the drops and put it into her mouth, sucking the tea off.

"Yeah, maybe." Katy said. "But how do I tell her? Do I just go up and say, hi I'm Katy Mitchell. Archie was my dad and he abandoned my mum when she was pregnant. Please take me into your family now I'm an orphan." She added sarcastically.

Whitney grinned and even Bianca smiled slightly. Pat sighed in amusement and shook her head.

"I don't know, love, I just don't know."


	7. Chapter 7

After the best night's sleep she had had for a long time, Katy was woken by Bianca screeching up the stairs that it was time for the kids to get up. Tiffany climbed out of bed, standing on Katy's hair and making her squeak slightly in surprise and pain.

"Sorry, Katy." The small girl mumbled sleepily.

"It's OK." Katy replied gently, massaging her scalp where her hairs had been pulled. She yawned and stretched, staring up at the ceiling. Even when she was at school she hadn't woken up this early most of the time. When her mum, Karen, was ill Katy often didn't get into school before the start of the first lesson. And that was only on a good day. Most days she would arrive partway through the first or second lesson. Sometimes she didn't manage to get to school until after break.

The school knew that her mum was ill, but Katy was too proud to ask for help so, while they generally overlooked her lateness or lack of homework, occasionally she would be called in to see the head over it. The suspensions she was given when the school felt like they needed to make an example of her lateness were a blessing rather than being a deterrent, as they were intended to be, as it gave her more time to do everything she needed to at home. It also made her look good in front of her friends. Not that Katy really cared what they thought.

When she had finished, and scraped through, her GCSE's last summer Katy hoped that she would be able to find a part-time job and care for her mother more easily. Karen had had other ideas, however, and refused to let Katy leave school. She argued that without good qualifications Katy would end up exactly where her mother had been; in a rubbish job with rubbish pay until she couldn't even do that anymore. To placate her mother, Katy had stayed on for Sixth Form which, luckily, involved far less time spent in school.

"Have you got to get to school?" Katy asked Whitney softly. The younger girl sighed and rolled over onto her side so that she was looking at her friend.

"Nah. B wouldn't let me leave until after I did my GCSE's last summer. I didn't pass them, but she wanted me to try." Whitney said. Katy nodded.

"My mum wanted me to stay on and do A Levels. I started, but as soon as mum... well, I dropped out." Katy said.

"Parents." Whitney said, smiling. Both girls winced at Bianca's ear-splitting shriek from downstairs. "We'd better get up and help get the kids sorted." She said and Katy nodded.

When Whitney had gone out to work on her stall and Bianca had taken the kids to school, Katy went downstairs. The house was quiet, except for the sound of the radio in the kitchen, so she went there. Pat was sitting at the table, a mug in one hand and the paper open in front of her. Katy smiled as she noticed Pat mouthing along with the words of the song that was playing.

"Morning." She said, shyly.

"Blimey!" Pat exclaimed, jumping at the teenager's greeting. "You gave me the shock of my life!" She didn't seem cross, however, as she smiled and stood up to make the girl a cup of tea. "Toast?"

"Let me." Katy said, taking the teaspoon and sugar pot out of Pat's hands. She set about making her breakfast while the older woman watched her shrewdly. Katy couldn't deal with people fussing around her. She had never been spoilt or fussed over in her life and she wasn't about to start letting people do it now.

"Sleep well?" Pat asked, taking a bite out of her own slice of toast as Katy sat down with her own food.

"Yes, thanks, better than I have for a long time. And thank you again for letting me stay here. Like I said, I haven't really got much money, but…"

"Don't even think about it." Pat said firmly. "Just help out around here and that's enough. Lord knows we could do with a hand sometimes."

Katy smiled gratefully at the woman, transfixed yet again by her amazing earrings. She was so distracted that she didn't realise the woman was talking to her.

"Hmmm… Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs Evans." She said, blushing slightly. "I was a million miles away."

"Call me Pat." Pat said smiling at the girl's politeness. "Your mother obviously brought you up right."

"Thanks." Katy said quietly. Her sadness about her mum's death had been masked by plenty of other emotions in the couple of months since Karen had died. Mainly a bleak numbness that had descended on her when she had first heard the words, '_she's dead_', but there was also an anger that she'd had to deal with so much alone. She'd cared for her mum, single-handed, since Karen had been diagnosed with severe depression when Katy was eight. Apparently her pride was another Mitchell trait and it stopped her admitting that she couldn't do everything on her own. So she'd suffered in silence.

"Anyway, I was saying maybe we should think about getting you a job, if you're serious about staying around?" Pat said, kindly. Evidently she had decided to take the troubled teenager under her wing. Katy was grateful and smiled, saying nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

"Why should I trust you to work on my stall?" Ian Beale asked Katy, his arms folded across his chest and his head on one side, scrutinising her. Pat had called in a favour and got her a trial, although it seemed more like an interview, working on the business man's fruit and veg stall.

"I'm hardworking, polite and I'm good with people." Katy said, biting her tongue. Although she needed this job, she didn't need all the hassle that evidently went with it. She stood, pretending to listen as Ian droned on about the responsibilities she would have working for him.

"If you do well enough there might even be a promotion in it for you." Ian was saying. "You might get a job in the caf or the chippy." Katy wasn't even listening because a pretty blonde woman, dressed all in black, was heading straight towards her. Ronnie looked exactly the same, just slightly older, as she had in the photo Katy treasured.

"You look like you could do with a nice pear." Katy said cheekily as Ronnie passed.

"Excuse me?" The older woman said icily, turning to look at Katy in a way that made the teenager nervous. It was almost as though there were some recognition in her eyes. Perhaps their father had told them after all. But then it was gone and her sister just looked annoyed.

"A pear?" Katy said with a grin, holding out the fruit. Ronnie's face cracked into a slight smile and her sister beamed. The woman laughed and took the fruit, considering it.

"OK, I'll take a few… five?" Ronnie said. Katy quickly bagged up the items and took Ronnie's money. She handed her the change and as their hands touched briefly she felt a jolt of familiarity. Ronnie looked up at her face quickly, narrowing her eyes for a split second. And then she smiled and walked away. Katy breathed again.

"Well… that was alright." Ian said grudgingly. "Selling to Ronnie Mitchell is no mean feat. If you carry on like this you could have a future in my businesses."

Katy watched him walk away, rolling her eyes. Working on the stall gave her a lot of opportunity to watch people and work out how the social politics of Albert Square worked. She was quickly introduced to Mo Harris, who unsuccessfully tried to convince the teenager that she had short-changed her. The dark haired, evidently pregnant girl, who ran the clothes stall opposite Ian's fruit and veg one laughed and shook her head.

"Leave it out, Nan!" She called across. "Leave her alone and go and con someone else."

"You shut your mouth, you cheeky mare!" Mo replied, giving Katy a fleeting smile. "Ah well, it was worth a try."

"Ignore her." The girl called to Katy. "She's harmless really. I'm Stacey."

"Katy." She called back smiling. Then Stacey was interrupted by a customer and Whitney appeared at Katy's side.

"You got a job then?" She said with a grin, helping herself to an apple.

"Oi!" Katy said with a grin. "You better pay for that. You on your lunch?"

"Yeah." Whitney said, pushing some coins into her friend's hand. "So… how's it going?"

"Well… I made Ronnie smile and got into an argument with Mo Harris. Nothing exciting really." The two girls grinned and started to laugh. Katy helped herself to an apple as well and they sat on the floor in front of the stall with their legs stretched out into the street.

"I'm not paying you to chat." Ian said loudly. Both girls jumped guiltily and Katy got to her feet, apologising.

"She's good." Stacey called supportively over from her own stall. "She's sold far more than you usually do and she beat Nan at her own game."

"Thank you." Ian said, not appearing at all grateful for the young woman's support of his newest employee.

"I'll see you later, yeah?" Whitney said, brushing the dust off her jeans and heading back to the house.

"I'm keeping my eye on you." Ian said warningly to Katy. She smiled falsely and stuck her tongue out when he had turned around. Stacey laughed and Katy shot her a grin. She would just have to keep reminding herself how much she needed this job.


	9. Chapter 9

"Mrs Evans?" Katy said, closing the kitchen door behind her so that no one else would hear their conversation. Pat shot her a look, her eyebrows raised. "I mean, Pat. I want you to have this. Please."

Pat took the small brown envelope and opened it. Two ten pound notes were folded up inside. Shocked, Pat pushed them back in and tried to hand the envelope back to the teenage girl. Katy put her hands behind her back and shook her head.

"I can't take this, Katy… where did you get it from? Surely Ian's not paid you already?"

"No, but apparently the stall made so much more than usual today he gave me a little extra. And he said I can have a permanent job." Katy said with a grin. "Stacey Branning told him how good I was and obviously the takings impressed him. I want you to have it, for everything you've done for me."

"Thanks, love." Pat said, slipping the money out of the envelope and putting it into her bag. Katy watched her, eyeing the money in Pat's bulging purse. She had obviously collected her pension that day. Then she snapped out of it, ignoring the little voice in her head telling her to take the money later.

The kitchen door opened and Bianca and Liam appeared, arguing over what school he would be going to in September. Not wanting to get involved, Katy slipped out of the room and made her way to the front room. Whitney and Tiff were watching cartoon and Katy slipped onto the sofa beside the small red-head.

All three sat in companionable silence until Liam stormed into the room and threw himself to the floor, leaning against the base of the sofa by Katy's legs. Without thinking she reached down and ruffled his hair which, for once, was exposed because he wasn't wearing his cap. Whitney shot her a smile and Katy realised that she had been accepted as part of the family. It made her feel all warm inside, something she was not used to.

"Tea's ready, kids." Bianca shouted from the kitchen and there was a stampede to be served the often served meal of chicken nuggets, chips and beans.

When they had finished, Katy offered to help Bianca's husband with the washing up. Ricky was slightly unsure of what to say to the teenage orphan and she was perfectly happy not to say anything at all. Instead they simply exchanged understanding smiles every now and then.

"Rickyyyyyy!" Bianca shrieked from the front room. He shot an apologetic look at Katy, who shrugged and smiled at him. Then he went to find out what the fuss was about, closing the door with a click behind him. Katy could hear an argument breaking out in the hallway and smiled fondly. She carried on with the drying up and began putting the plates away.

As she bent down to put them into the cupboard, her eye fell on Pat's purse. Katy hesitated for a moment, biting her lip and considering her next move. She pinched her top lip, thinking hard. Then she unzipped the purse, removed two five pound notes, assuming that just those wouldn't be missed, and slipped them into her jeans pocket. She replaced the purse and jumped back to the sink to pick up the cutlery just as they door opened and Ricky returned.

"Women!" He said in exasperation, shaking his head and grimacing. Katy smiled weakly. She already felt guilty for taking the money.

"Fancy the pub?" Whitney asked, poking her head round the door and looking at Katy hopefully. Katy nodded and glanced at Ricky.

"You go and have fun." He said smiling. "I'll finish this."

Katy grinned broadly at him, put down her dishcloth and rushed into the hall, taking her coat down off the hooks by the door. Outside, Katy felt less sure of herself. She'd made the acquaintance with quite a few residents of the square, but she definitely felt like an outsider. The teenager could almost feel people's questioning gazes on her, taking in her appearance.

"Ignore them, yeah?" Whitney said smiling at her friend. Katy nodded and grinned back.

"Hang on a sec." She said, "I need credit." She popped into the Minute Mart and handed over the ten pounds. The man smiled at her warmly and commented on how he hadn't seen her around before.

"She's a mate." Whitney said casually. "She's staying at ours for a while."

Awkwardly Katy took the credit voucher and left the shop. So far she hadn't had to tell anyone her surname and had decided that, if anyone did ask what it was, she was going to use her mother's name, Parker.

"When are you going to tell them?" Whitney asked her in a low voice, glancing at the bar where all three Mitchell women were standing having a conversation. Katy just shook her head and shrugged. "You haven't got a locket have you?" Whitney joked. Katy looked at her confused.

"Yeah…" She said slowly, not understanding what that had to do with anything. Her mum had given it to her for her sixteenth birthday, in a rare period of brightness when she wasn't feeling too depressed. She pulled it out from underneath her top and showed it to Whitney. It contained a photo of her mum happy and normal, the way Katy tried to remember her.

"Ronnie and her daughter Danielle had matching lockets." Whitney said in a low voice, even though there was no chance the woman would be able to hear her in the noisy pub.

"What?" Katy asked, totally confused. "Ronnie has a daughter?"

"Had." Whitney said bluntly. "Archie took her away when she was born, 'cos Ronnie was only like fourteen or something? But then Danielle came looking for her. Archie tried to like, keep her a secret because he told Ronnie she was dead."

"What?" Katy repeated, unsure whether she believed her friend or not. They said love was blind, but if it was true, her mother had been seriously blind where her dad was concerned. She had always told Katy that Archie wasn't the man everyone said he was.

"It's true! Anyway, at Archie and Peggy's wedding Danielle put the locket in Ronnie's glass and told her who she was. But Ronnie didn't believe her because Archie moved the locket or something. Then she found it and realised that it WAS true. But then it was too late because Danielle got hit by a car." Whitney said, still in a low voice. Katy stared at her open mouthed. There was too much information in her friend's words for her to take in at once.

"What?" Katy said for the third time, totally overwhelmed.


	10. Chapter 10

Katy was still reeling about what Whitney had said. Before she'd had a chance to question her friend about what she'd just heard, the two girls were joined by Whitney's boyfriend, and Bianca's half-brother, Billie. Feeling like a third wheel in the conversation, Katy excused herself, saying she had a headache and left them alone.

Slowly she walked through the square until she reached the swings. She was still in a daze when she sat down and began pushing herself backwards and forwards. If Archie had married Peggy, then the woman wasn't just her aunt, she was her step-mother. She wondered for a moment or two why Pat or anyone else hadn't thought to mention that fact to her. Then she put two and two together in her head and understood why Peggy had seemed so affected when she had said her father was dead. He, Archie, Peggy's husband, had been murdered on Christmas Day, which was only just over three months ago.

"You alright?" A voice said from in front of her. Katy glanced up and realised that she was crying. She hastily wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said with a weak smile. Stacey Branning walked over and sat on the swing beside her. She wrapped her hands around the chains and scuffed the toes of her boots into the bark on the floor. Her pregnant stomach protruded and, if she hadn't been told not to stare, Katy would have fixed her gaze on the bump.

"Whatever."

"Seriously. I'm OK." Katy lied again. Stacey wasn't convinced and just raised her eyebrows. She didn't show any sign of leaving so Katy sighed. "I'm just finding it hard to act all normal."

"Why?" Stacey asked bluntly.

"Because my mum's dead and my dad, who I didn't know anyway, is dead and I haven't got anyone else." Katy said simply. Saying it out loud made her feel slightly better. Saying it to someone impartial made her feel better still. Stacey didn't say anything.

"My best friend died just over a year ago." Stacey said suddenly. "A year and a week, to be exact."

"I'm sorry." Katy said quietly.

"Yeah… Danielle was… lovely." Stacey's voice cracked, talking about the dead girl. Katy jumped slightly hearing the name so soon after hearing Whitney use it. Her mind quickly made an assumption, connecting the two 'Danielles'.

"What was she like?" Katy asked, more eagerly than she'd intended. Stacey gave her a strange look and Katy blinked several times. "You don't have to answer that… you just sounded like you might want to talk about her." She said quickly.

Stacey's eyes filled with tears, but she nodded. "She was nineteen, blonde, tiny… she was so kind. She was Ronnie Mitchell's daughter. Ronnie was only fourteen when she had Danielle and her father took her away. Danielle came looking for her mother… but Ronnie found her too late. She was hit by Janine Butcher's car and died in Ronnie's arms." Stacey stopped. "She was so happy in the split second before she died. She'd finally found her mother and realised that she was wanted."

"She was lucky then." Katy said quietly. Stacey shot her a sharp look.

"What do you mean?" She demanded.

"Just that she knew she was loved." The teenager replied quickly. "She knew that there was someone out there that really did love her."

Silence fell between the two females. Each were thinking about the people they had recently lost and wondering what life would be like from now on. Katy pushed herself backwards and forwards with her feet again, so that the swing moved slightly. Beside her, Stacey was doing the same thing, evidently lost in her own thoughts.

"When's it due?" Katy asked suddenly, nodding her head towards Stacey's bump.

"June." Stacey said shortly.

"Thought of any names?"

"Bradley if it's a boy… after my husband."

"I'm sure he'll like that." Katy said with a smile.

"He would have. He died."

"I'm sorry." Katy said again. She wasn't sure what to say. Everything that entered her head sounded stupid and weak. She knew that people tended to say things they didn't necessarily mean when confronted with grief and she also knew how vexing it was to hear these sorts of things.

"I know." Stacey said looking at her. She obviously understood the inexpressible feelings that hung in the air between them. "It was only two months ago but I just feel numb."

"I know." Katy said, echoing the older woman's words. "I rarely feel anything BUT numb. You get used to it though, feeling nothing. Sometimes you can fool yourself that everything's the same as it was before, but then you remember and the numbness comes back." She felt her eyes prickle with white-hot tears and wiped them with the heels of her palms.

"I better go." Stacey said, standing up. She pulled her coat round her, because the air had suddenly turned chilly. She walked away slowly but, when she got to the wall she turned and looked at Katy. She sent her a weak smile. "Thank you."


	11. Chapter 11

"When do you think you're gonna tell them?" Whitney whispered to Katy that night as they lay in bed. The younger girl was lying on her side, almost leaning over the edge of her bed to see the reaction on the face of her friend on the floor below her. Tiffany was fast asleep, making cute little snuffling noises in her own bed.

"I don't know." Katy sighed and rolled over so that she was lying on her back staring at the ceiling. "I obviously want them to know who I am. But I don't want to be rejected. I don't have any other family."

"You have us." Whitney said, barely audibly.

Katy rolled back to her original position and looked her friend square in the eyes. "Whit, in the day and a half I've known you, you have become easily the best friend I have ever had. Under different circumstances I would be more than ecstatic to adopt you all as my family. It's just that… well… since I was tiny I've always dreamt of my sisters." She sighed and rolled onto her back again, so that she could avoid looking at Whitney. If she was going to open up she couldn't do it and see the other girl's reaction at the same time.

"What?" Whitney asked, instantly sensing that Katy had something to tell her.

"You know I said my mum had problems?" She said slowly. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Whitney nod and carried on. "Well, you remember what I told you, that ever since I can remember mum had that photo of Ronnie and Roxie, you know the one you saw, framed on the mantelpiece? She used to tell people they were her older daughters but they'd left home. It was the depression. She was so in love with dad and when he left her she just fell apart. She was only diagnosed when I was eight, but it had always been there."

Whitney made sympathetic noises and reached down to touch Katy reassuringly on the shoulder. The teenager didn't notice the sounds and only barely registered the contact. Now she had started, she didn't think she would be able to stop talking. "Then, two years ago it started to get really bad. They put her on so much medication that she didn't know who I was half the time. She used to call me Ronnie or Roxy. I gave up correcting her after a while because when she knew that I wasn't one of them she didn't want me. She only ever wanted them. They weren't even her daughters; they were his. I don't even know if she'd ever met them. But she loved him so much that she kind of imagined they were hers. The day before she… killed herself… she called me Ronnie. She said that I had to look after Roxy because they were the two most precious things in her life. She never even mentioned me. I know it wasn't her fault. She did love me really. She was just really ill."

"Katy…" Whitney said quietly. The emotion was clear in her voice. But Katy didn't need to hear it.

"I don't even look like them. I look like mum." She ignored the burning tears that were welling up in her eyes and spilling over her cheeks. "I've lived in their shadow all of my life and yet I've never even met them. What if they don't want anything to do with me?"

"Then you still have us." Whitney said firmly, louder than she'd intended. Tiffany murmured in her sleep and the two teenagers froze slightly, worried she would wake up. She simply turned over, sighed deeply and was quiet again. "We might not be your real family, but we'll be here. I know how you feel about the rejection. My mum rejected me when she came back. But B and Ricky and Pat and the kids are my family. And Ryan. They're all I need."

"Thanks, Whit." Katy said sadly. She did appreciate the words, but she knew that it was different. Whitney's mum had made the conscious decision to leave her daughter. Katy's family didn't even know she existed. The information might just be too much. Especially after the year they seemed to have just had.

She tried to get to sleep, but it was a long time before she eventually managed it.


	12. Chapter 12

"Who's that?" Katy asked Whitney curiously, pointing at a blonde woman who was almost running alongside Ronnie, trying to talk to her. Ronnie didn't seem to want to talk, but the woman wasn't really taking the hint.

"Glenda, Ronnie and Roxy's mum." Whitney said watching the antics with amusement.

"Oh…" Katy said, downhearted. She guessed that if their mother was around she wouldn't want her husband's illegitimate daughter getting close to them. She sighed.

"Don't worry." Whitney said smiling at her. "She abandoned them when they were kids. B says they don't want anything to do with her, especially Roxy."

Katy was momentarily cheered up by that news. Bianca and Pat seemed to know everything that was going on in Albert Square and anything they didn't, Whitney seemed to know. It amused Katy greatly.

"It sounds like they've been having a tough year." Katy said faintly.

"Ronnie's had a tough life." Whitney said with a shrug.

"In what way, just the Danielle thing?" Katy asked. Whitney was about to elaborate when a familiar, piercing shout came from further along the street. The girls exchanged amused glances.

"Whit!" Bianca shouted from the café doorway. "You should be on your stall!"

Whitney rolled her eyes and grinned, going back to the stall she ran selling t-shirts that she had designed herself. Katy was wearing one that morning and was careful to point anyone who showed the slightest interest in it to Whitney's stall.

"Veronica, darling!" Glenda was exclaiming as they passed Katy's stall. The teenager pretended to be too busy sorting her stick to pay attention to the conversation taking place in front of her.

"Will you give it a rest!" Ronnie said loudly, swatting her mother away and striding in the direction of her flat. "I'm going to the hospital to see Jack."

Glenda stopped in front of Katy, watching her daughter stride away angrily. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot in agitation. She was blonde and blue-eyed, like her daughters. Katy watched her curiously, almost able to see cogs turning in her mind.

"What?" She demanded, noticing Katy smiling to herself.

"Nothing." Katy said, trying to hide her smile. "Pear?"

"Eurgh." Glenda said, sneering at the teenager and walking off in the direction of the bridge. Katy chuckled to herself, shaking her head. She looked up and caught Stacey's eye. She gave her a weak smile, which the widow returned, before turning her back on the teenager and tidying the clothes on the nearest rail.

Katy's shift ended at lunchtime and the last half hour went quickly. She handed her apron to Billy, another Mitchell apparently but Katy wasn't sure how exactly they were related, with a smile and headed back to the house. Pat had given her the spare key so Katy let herself into the house and made her way to the kitchen.

As she was passing the door to the front room she heard voices and, curiously she poked her head around the door. Peggy and Pat were sitting on the sofa and both looked up as they sensed her presence.

Both women fixed the teenager with a hard gaze, which made Katy uncomfortable. Peggy's eyes were wide and watering. She put her hands over her mouth as she stared at the girl. Katy instinctively looked at Pat for reassurance and the woman gave her a smile. She knew what was happening. Pat had told Peggy who she was. The seventeen-year-old braced herself for a negative reaction as Peggy got shakily to her feet.

But there wasn't one. Peggy came towards her with her arms outstretched and her eyes full of tears. Katy hadn't expected quite that reaction when her family learnt the truth, but she was definitely not going to argue with it. As the woman put her arms round Katy and held her tightly, the teenager clung on, breathing in her step-mother's flowery scent. It seemed so familiar and yet so new. She closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into the shorted woman's shoulder, stooping a bit.

"Now let's have a look at you." Peggy said in a cracked voice, holding Katy at arm's length. "That's it."


	13. Chapter 13

"Pat told me what she could, which wasn't much." Peggy said gently. The two Mitchells were sitting side by side on the sofa in Pat's front room. She had gone to the kitchen, to give them some space to talk. "Tell me everything, Katy."

"Like what?" Katy asked, shrugging. "There isn't really much to tell."

Peggy laughed and clasped the girl's hands. "Everything."

"Well… My full name is Katherine Margaret Mitchell and I was seventeen on December 6th." Katy started feeling completely stupid. But then she realised that Peggy didn't know any of this information, so to her it was all a revelation. "My mum was Karen Parker."

"I know that name…" Peggy said suddenly, thinking why she recognised it. "I'm sure Archie said his cleaner was called Karen Parker."

Katy's eyes filled with tears and she exhaled though her nose. Then she gave a cynical laugh. "Really?" The knowledge that her father had referred to her mother as the cleaner upset her deeply. "She was so in love with him that even when he abandoned her and said he wanted nothing to do with me she still refused to hear a bad word said against him. He even demanded that I had Margaret as my middle name, after you I suppose." A single tear ran down her cheek as the memories came flooding back.

"Oh, darling." Peggy said, squeezing her hand. But, as with Whitney, Katy found that she just wanted to get everything off her chest. She wiped the tear away and hardened her resolve, she needed to get through this; to prove that she could.

"Mum's best friend, Jane, who introduced mum and dad in the first place, said that he probably kept us his dirty little secret. Mum refused to agree, she used to ring him and tell him about me, but he didn't want to know. He sent her money for me, until I was about twelve, but he didn't want anything else to do with me. He did say that he'd told Ronnie and Roxy and they'd said the same. But Jane always said that they, especially Ronnie, would never have ignored their baby sister. I never understood why it was _especially_Ronnie, and no one ever told me. But I suppose it was because of her own baby, Danielle." Katy said sadly. "Mum sent letters too, and photos. We never heard anything from them, except just after I was born he sent us a photo of Ronnie and Roxy. Mum loved that photo."

Peggy was looking at her with the same expression Whitney had and Katy could hardly stand it. But the older woman had said that she wanted to know everything and, Katy found that she couldn't stop.

"For as long as I can remember Mum had problems. When I was eight she was diagnosed with severe depression. Sometimes she wouldn't get out of bed for weeks. I had to look after her. I tried ringing Archie, but he didn't do anything, he wouldn't even talk to me. Then, just before I turned fifteen it started to get really bad. She was on so much medication that she didn't know who I was and she'd call me Ronnie or Roxy. There was no point correcting her because she only ever wanted them, never me. I don't even know if she'd even met them. I think it was part of the depression and how much she still loved him that she'd kind of tricked herself into thinking they were her daughters. I never got a look in, it was always Ronnie and Roxy, right up until the day she killed herself."

"Oh, darling." Peggy said again. She didn't seem to be able to say anything else.

"I don't need sympathy. It wasn't her fault, she was just far too ill. I know that she did love me really. But when she'd died I rang Archie. It was two weeks before Christmas and I was just seventeen, alone and absolutely terrified. He didn't even speak to me. He answered his phone but when he heard it was me he didn't speak again. I just talked and he must have listened because the line didn't end until I'd said goodbye. No one came to the funeral. They didn't ring or send a card. There was nothing. I didn't know what to do, so I gave up the lease on the house, sold what little we had; everything. Then I lived with our neighbour, Mrs Wilson, for a while, but then she mentioned that she'd heard mum mention Albert Square, Walford and I knew I had to come here."

She stopped talking abruptly, reaching the end of her history. She looked at Peggy from underneath the cover of her fringe. Her step-mother had one hand over her mouth.

"That's it." Katy said with a small, sad shrug. "That's my story. Hang on…" She stood up and left the room. Quickly she climbed the stairs and rooted through her bag, pulling out a manila envelope and the photo album. Then she went back downstairs and placed both items carefully on the coffee table.

"What are these?" Peggy asked, lifting the cover of the photo album. Then she realised, seeing a baby photo of Katy. She smiled weakly at the teenager, tears springing to her eyes again. Katy flipped through, stopping on the page that contained the photo of her sisters.

"This is the photo." She said quietly. She showed Peggy another photo as well, one of her parents; Karen was smiling, Archie was not. Then she opened the envelope and pulled out a carefully folded sheet of paper; her birth certificate. "In case you wanted proof or something."

"Don't be silly darling. Why on earth would you make up a story like that?" Peggy said, but Katy was sure she saw her checking the names anyway. The teenager didn't blame her. She would have been suspicious in Peggy's position.

"Here." Katy said, passing Peggy the second sheet of paper from the envelope. It was the covering letter that Archie had attached to the first lot of money he had sent. Karen had kept it safe since her daughter was a baby and Katy knew the words off by heart. _Her middle name is Margaret. She might be a Mitchell but she's __your__ daughter. I'll be in touch._

Peggy didn't seem to want to read it but she couldn't help herself. She put it quickly back on the table and turned to Katy, composing herself. She didn't mention the letter at all.

"What happens now?" She asked in a harder voice. "What do you want?"


	14. Chapter 14

"What happens now?" Peggy asked Katy in a harder voice, looking at her carefully. "What do you want?"

The teenager looked back, confused. "What do you mean, what do I want?" She asked. "I don't _want_ anything. I just want a family."

Peggy glanced at her, as though expecting that she was scheming, planning some kind of revenge. But the look in Katy's eyes was so hurt, so lost, that the hardened, typical East End matriarch couldn't help herself. She reached out her arms and held Katy tightly.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I'm so sorry… Archie… He was evil."

"It's not your fault." Katy said, understanding. "I was so unsure about coming here, about telling anyone. Telling Pat and Bianca and Whit… it just sort of came out. I didn't mean to tell them. I was just so scared of your reaction. And then Whit told me about Danielle…"

"That's not your… that's in the past." Peggy said. "Just when one surprise Mitchell arrives, so does another one. We're obviously like buses, us."

"One surprise Mitchell?" Katy asked, confused.

"Danny. Archie and Glenda's youngest. When she left Archie, Glenda was apparently pregnant with Danny." Peggy said, although there was something about the way she said it that made Katy think Peggy wasn't altogether convinced about the latest arrival.

Katy's heart dropped, nevertheless. She couldn't explain why, but the idea of being the second surprise appearing in Ronnie and Roxy's life didn't fill her with much confidence. Besides, Danny was, apparently, their full brother. She was just the daughter of their father and 'the cleaner'.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." Katy said, starting to panic. "Maybe I should just go back home." Then she stopped, remembering that she didn't have a home. She was stuck. "Oh…" she murmured, tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

"Oi!" Peggy said sternly, making Katy jump. "You're a Mitchell and there'll be none of that. You just leave your sisters to me."

"I had to do something!" Pat said, when Katy confronted her about telling Peggy. "You weren't looking as though you were about to tell and, after recent events, the sooner you reveal yourself the better in my opinion."

"Yes, well… thank you." Katy said quietly, talking the older woman by surprise. She kissed Pat on the cheek and went upstairs.

'_You leave your sisters to me.'_ That was what Peggy had said. Katy wasn't sure why but when she had heard those words she had had a strange feeling that everything would work out. Peggy had taken the photo album and the two sheets of paper with her and told her newly discovered step-daughter to wait until she got in touch.

"How long will that be?" Katy asked herself with a sigh as she sat on Whitney's bed, looking out of the window and across the square to the Queen Vic.


	15. Chapter 15  Ronnie and Roxy

**A chapter from Ronnie and Roxy's POV **

"Who's that?" Roxy asked her aunt, who was technically also her step-mother. She pointed to a reasonably pretty, dark-haired girl who was sitting with Whitney Dean, Lucy Beale and Zsa Zsa Carter.

"Her name's Katy." Peggy said, moving to Roxy's side so that she could watch her youngest step-daughter more closely. The teenager seemed to have one eye on the blondes behind the bar, almost conscious of the fact that they were talking about her. "She's seventeen and she's staying with Pat and her family for a while."

"Cheeky little mare tried to get me to serve her the other day!" Roxy said, annoyed that she'd almost been conned into serving the girl. "No wonder she couldn't show me her ID."

Peggy smiled to herself in amusement at this knowledge, but understood why Katy hadn't shown Roxy any ID. She doubted that the girl would have simply tried to bluff having ID, but it would have had her name on it.

"What, Auntie Peg?" Roxy demanded, noticing the enigmatic smile on the woman's face as she turned away.

"Nothing, Rox. She just reminds me a little of you and Ronnie, that's all."

"I'm not a chav." Roxy said, moodily and Peggy raised her eyebrows and shook her head slightly, even more amused. Roxy fiddled with her chunky hoop earrings while she watched the teenager, laughing with the other girls. She caught one of her fake nails in her hair extensions and jumped slightly.

"You alright," Katy asked, leaning on the bar waiting to buy another round of cokes. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Roxy stared at her, not entirely registering what the girl had said. She looked at her carefully, not entirely sure why she was getting the feeling that she knew her. The woman took in her dark hair, tied loosely back and her sparkling blue eyes. She noted the silver hoops in her ears and the small emerald stud in the cartilage at the top of her left ear.

"Have I met you before?" She asked, unable to put her finger on the strange feeling.

"Only the other day when I forgot my ID." Katy said with a mischievous smile. "And I was in here yesterday with Whit and Billie."

Roxy shook her head, no, that wasn't it. She didn't understand why this girl… she didn't even know WHAT she was making her feel. Katy was just making her feel… funny.

"What do you want?" She asked bluntly, annoyed that she was so affected.

"Four cokes please."

As the girl rummaged in her purse for the change, Roxy kept stealing looks at her from behind her hair. Unbeknownst to her, Katy was doing the same thing. As Katy scooped out the last coin, she screwed up her face, calculating how much she had. It was the same look as Roxy had when she was trying to work something similar out. Neither realised the connection though, and the look went unmentioned.

When the teenager was safely back at her table, Roxy continued to watch her. She wasn't very sly and didn't bother to hide the fact that she was watching them. All four girls turned to look at her after a couple of minutes and she gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave for their trouble. Lucy Beale rolled her eyes.

"That girl needs a smack in the gob." Roxy muttered to herself.

"Which girl?" Ronnie asked beside her, making Roxy jump again.

"What? Oh, just getting attitude from the Beale kid." Roxy said with a look at her sister. Ronnie smiled and leant on the bar as well.

"Who's the other one?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she immediately felt the same sensation as Roxy had when setting her eyes on Katy. "She was on Ian's stall yesterday. She managed to sell me some pears."

"Apparently her name's Katy, she's seventeen and living with Pat." Roxy said, keen to pass on the gossip she'd heard from Peggy. "That explains why she's so friendly with Whitney. Why do you reckon she's staying with them?" Ronnie shrugged. She was looked at the girl with her head on one side and her forehead furrowed slightly as she tried to work out where she'd seen the girl before.

"Have we met her before?" She asked Roxy slowly. "I feel like I know her somehow."

"That's exactly what I thought." Roxy said excitedly turning to her sister. Then her face fell and she shook her head. "But I don't think we have."

"Hmmm…" Ronnie murmured, but then the conversation was cut short as people began to pour into the pub in the usual post-dinner time surge.


	16. Chapter 16

**The same chapter, but from Katy's POV **

Katy had been persuaded to go to the Vic by Whitney, who was apparently meeting Zsa Zsa and Lucy and thought that they would get on really well with her. Once she was there, she found that she was enjoying herself. Zsa Zsa and Lucy were incredibly interested in her and kept asking all sorts of questions that she found she had to answer.

"Did you have to look after her all the time?" Zsa asked.

Katy nodded. "The depression was so severe that sometimes she was in bed for weeks. But then they increased her medication to make up for it and she was like a zombie. That was just as bad."

Out of the corner of her eye Katy noticed Peggy and Roxy watching at her and talking in low voices. She squirmed slightly, feeling their eyes on her. She saw Peggy smile and turn to walk away.

"What, Auntie Peg?" Roxy said loudly, loud enough for the four girls to hear anyway. Peggy answered something, much more quietly, smiled and turned to walk away. She caught Katy's eye as she went and winked. Whitney gave Katy a confused look as Katy grinned slightly, but the other teenager just blinked at her.

Zsa Zsa and Lucy were bickering and Whitney and Katy had started laughing at them, feeling the infectious amusement that came from childish arguments. Katy couldn't really relax though, because she could still feel her sister watching them. She watched Roxy fiddling with her chunky hoop earrings.

"I'll get more cokes, shall I?" She asked with a wide grin. With her heart in her mouth she made her way up to the bar. Roxy jumped slightly as she realised that Katy was standing in front of her. "You alright," Katy asked, leaning on the bar. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

The woman didn't answer for a moment and Katy got the uncomfortable feeling that she was scrutinising her, trying to take in all the details of her appearance.

"Have I met you before?"

"Only the other day when I forgot my ID." Katy said smiling to try and cover the anxiousness that was knotting her stomach. "And I was in here yesterday with Whit and Billie."

"What do you want?" Roxy snapped, looking totally confused and annoyed.

"Four cokes please." Katy said, a little hurt.

Katy tried to scoop coins out of her purse, which wasn't easy when most of her attention was focused on the blonde woman who was getting the drinks. Roxy had hardly changed since that photograph Katy owned had been taken, she had just got older. Ronnie hadn't changed at all.

She handed over the money with a smile and quickly retreated back to the table, handing out the drinks. This whole finding her family think was much more draining than she'd ever imagined.

"Why is Roxy Mitchell staring at us like that?" Zsa asked quietly, taking a sip from her glass. Whitney and Lucy, who had their backs to the bar turned to look at the barmaid, who smiled sarcastically and gave them a little a wave. Lucy rolled her eyes and turned back to face her friends.

"She thinks she's amazing." She said rudely. "Stupid airhead."

Zsa laughed and Whitney grinned, but catching the stony look on Katy's face soon stopped.

"She's not that bad." She said, coming to Katy's sister's defence.

"Whatever." Lucy said shaking her head and smirking.

But Katy's attention was distracted by Ronnie's entrance. Her two sisters were leaning on the bar, looking directly at her. She shifted uncomfortably, realising that they were talking about her as well. She tried her hardest to hear what they were saying, which gave her a glazed expression and earned her a hard prod from Zsa, sitting beside her.

"Ronnie's staring at us now." Zsa muttered; this time Whitney and Lucy didn't bother to turn and look. Katy glanced up and realised that her elder sister was looking at her with her head on one side and her forehead furrowed slightly – a look of deep concentration. She took a long gulp of her coke.

Both Mitchell sisters continued staring at Katy with the same slightly confused, slightly recognising expressions until a sudden surge of people into the pub claimed their attention and they were forced to turn their attention away from the teenager. While they were busy with the punters, Katy took her opportunity to make her excused and escape into the quiet, cool evening. She sighed.


	17. Chapter 17

"Pssst!"

Katy looked blankly around, trying to work out where the noise was coming from. It sounded as though someone was trying to attract her attention, but she couldn't see anyone. Standing on Bridge Street, next to Stacey's closed clothing stall, Katy looked up and down the deserted road in confusion.

"Katy!"

She turned in a full circle and finally her eye fell on Peggy, her head poking round the gate that separated the Vic from the Minute Mart. She beckoned Katy over and, when she was close enough, pulled her through into the narrow alleyway behind the gate.

"Peggy?"

"Are you sure Ronnie and Roxy didn't know about you?" The woman asked, looking hard at her youngest step-daughter and launching straight into the important business. "They're so interested in you. Rox said she was sure she knew you from somewhere."

"Yeah, she pretty much said the same to me. But unless they came when I was really little, I've never met them. Or they might have seen one of the photos mum sent dad. I don't know."

"I think if I do a little groundwork, maybe –" Peggy was cut short as the doorway that led from the alley into the cellar opened and Ronnie's head poked out.

"Auntie Peg, we need…" she trailed off, seeing Peggy and Katy staring back at her. She stepped into the alley and closed the door behind her, putting her hands on her hip and fixing a steely gaze on them. Katy and Peggy exchanged a look.

"What's going on?" Ronnie asked suspiciously. "Is she bothering you, Auntie Peg?"

Katy's mouth fell open at Ronnie's words. She felt hurt, but then pulled herself together, remembering that Ronnie didn't know her from Adam. She quickly stepped backwards, away from Peggy and into the wall.

"No, no." Peggy said, putting her hands in the air and shaking them at the elder Mitchell girl.

"What's she doing in here then?" Ronnie asked, "Auntie Peg, what's going on?"

Peggy had suggested that they went upstairs so that she could explain things. Reluctantly, shooting Katy suspicious glances the whole time, Ronnie had led the way back into the pub and up the stairs into the flat where Peggy, Roxy, Amy and Danny lived. Katy hadn't known about her brother, but then again neither had Ronnie or Roxy. She immediately felt an affinity with him, both kept secret and hidden away.

When they reached the living room, Peggy had suggested that Danny went downstairs to help Roxy behind the bar, while she spoke to Katy and Ronnie. Unwillingly, sending Katy mistrustful looks that made her feel uncomfortable, he went closing the door behind him. Evidently Peggy didn't trust him either because she got up and listened at the door for a few moments and then opened it, revealing the young man standing on the other side.

"I said go downstairs." Peggy said authoritatively.

"Alright, alright!" He said, holding up his arms and moving towards the stairs. Peggy stood watching him until he had gone into the bar. Then she closed the door and sat beside Ronnie on the sofa. Katy was standing nervously by the coffee table, twisting her hands.

"Sit down, darling." Peggy said patiently and the teenager sat in the arm chair facing them. Ronnie was still glaring at her with the same suspicious look. "Ronnie, have you heard the name Karen Parker?"

"K-Karen Parker?" Ronnie muttered, astonished. She thought for a moment. "Yes! I came home one day and found a woman in our house. Dad said she was the new cleaner, Karen Parker."

Katy's fists made themselves into balls as she struggled to control her anger. "She wasn't a cleaner." She said quietly.

Ronnie's gaze snapped quickly back to the teenage girl. "What?"

"My mum wasn't a cleaner." Katy said louder.

"You're Karen Parker's daughter?" Ronnie said slowly. "Why are you here?"

"She's your sister, Ronnie. She's Archie's daughter." Peggy said, reaching for the blonde woman's hand. Ronnie shook her off and stood up.

"Like hell she is!" Ronnie exploded. "She probably just heard about Dad's death and wanted a piece of the inheritance. Well she's not getting her hands on it. We've suffered too much from that man to lose out."

"It's true! I am!" Katy said, standing up as well and shouting in her sister's face. "Why do you think I'd come all this way otherwise? I didn't even know he was dead until I got here!"

"Yeah, right!" Ronnie screamed. "You just go back and tell your mother that neither of you are getting a penny."

Katy recoiled, as though Ronnie had physically slapped her. "My mum's dead." She said, much more quietly. "THAT'S the reason I'm here. I came to find a family."

"Katy…" Peggy said, standing up as well now and moving forwards. The teenager shook her off.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Mitchell." She said, forgetting her relationship to the woman and reverting to calling her by her name. "This was a stupid idea. I'm going to go. I'll see you." Tears in her eyes, Katy fled out of the room and down the stairs, ignoring Peggy calling after her. She rushed out through the pub, much to Roxy's astonishment.

"Oi!" She shouted after the fleeing teenager. Katy didn't stop to chat. Tears now flooding down her cheeks she ran back to Pat's, jumped up the stairs and threw herself onto Whitney's bed, sobbing. She was angrier with herself than anything else. She had known coming here was a stupid idea and now she had totally alienated herself. Katy would have to leave Walford.

She stood up and started flinging her things haphazardly into her bags. It was only then that she remembered that Peggy still had her photo album, birth certificate and Archie's letter. Katy collapsed on the bed, biting her lip. She couldn't face going and asking for them back. Whitney would have to send them to her… when she worked out where she was going.


	18. Chapter 18

"Katy!" Bianca screeched from downstairs. The teenager jumped and ran to the top of the stairs, worried by the high-pitched tone of her host's shout. "Quick, get down here!"

She ran down the stairs, wondering what could possibly have happened. She burst into the front room to see that Pat, Bianca and Ricky were watching the news. Bianca had her hands pressed over her mouth and turned to look at Katy with wide eyes. The teenager hardly noticed; she was too bothered by what she saw on the television.

"…officers were reluctant to comment. It is thought that Estelle Wilson, sixty-seven, was killed in her home at some time early Thursday morning. Police are looking for her teenage lodger, Katherine Mitchell, who has since disappeared. It is unclear whether she is wanted for questioning or whether her safety is in question."

The camera angle changed, showing a shot of the street, police tape around Mrs Wilson's house. Katy felt a jolt as her childhood home came into shot as well. She couldn't take in the news. Mrs Wilson was dead and the police wanted to talk to her.

"Stell was such a kind person." A woman was saying, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Katy recognised her as Mrs Edwards, the local busybody. "She took Katy in when her mother died. I can't believe she would have killed her. I just hope she's alright. This area is usually so peaceful. This is such a shock."

"Investigations are continuing into the cause of Mrs Wilson's death and police urge Miss Mitchell, or anyone who has information about the case, to come forward as soon as possible." A photo of Katy appeared on the screen, not one of the best, but easily recognisable. "The seventeen-year-old is about five foot three, has shoulder-length dark hair and blue eyes. She has no known living relatives and police would urge anyone who has seen her to come forward. Bob Jones in Llandovery for BBC News."

Pat turned the television off and there was a stunned silence for a couple of moments.

"I didn't kill her." Katy said quietly.

"Of course you didn't. We believe you." Pat said quickly. "But we need to take you to the police station. The sooner you clear your name, the better."

Katy nodded, numb. She had arrived in Walford on Thursday afternoon and so she knew that the time frame meant that she could have killed Mrs Wilson. But she hadn't. Katy was also wondering whether anyone else on the Square had seen the news. The photograph they had used might have been old, but it was unmistakably her. Katy was terrified in case any of the Mitchell's had seen it and thought she was guilty. On the bright side, at least it confirmed that she was who she said she was.

Pat was shrugging on her faux-fur coat to take her to the police station when there was a hammering on the front door. Katy exchanged a frightened look with Bianca, convinced that it was the police arriving to arrest her.

"Keep calm." Pat said quietly. She went to open the door and, from behind the closed front room door, heard muffled voices. Then the door opened and Katy found herself face to face with Peggy. She put her hands on the teenager's arms and looked her hard in the face.

"Did you have anything to do with it?" She asked seriously.

"No." Katy said, willing her step-mother to believe her. Peggy looked at her for a minute or two, sighed and hugged her tightly.

"I knew it." She said.

"We're off down the station." Pat said. "She needs to clear her name. You coming?"

Peggy nodded and with a brief look over her shoulder at Bianca and Ricky, who were looking concerned, Katy allowed herself to be led out of the house and put in a taxi. She was silent all the way to the police station, unable to believe the news report. Who would want to kill Mrs Wilson? And why? She was just a harmless old lady.

Katy didn't speak until they got to the station and then it was only to confirm her name. As she was under eighteen they asked for her next of kin. Stupidly she stared at the police officer, until Peggy put her arm around her shoulder.

"I'm her auntie. Both her parents are dead."

"Name?" He asked, seemingly bored.

"Margaret Mitchell."

Another policeman walked into the reception area just in time to hear Peggy's words. He stopped and folded his arms across his chest, looking at her with familiarity.

"My, my." He said with a smirk. "Peggy Mitchell. What brings you here this evening? Your Phil got himself in trouble again?"

Peggy glared at him. "No. I brought my niece to clear her name. Katy Mitchell?"

The officer instantly recognised the name; all stations had been told to keep an eye out for the teenager wanted in connection with the murder of an old lady. He shook his head, smirking.

"Why am I not surprised that she's related to you lot. Another delinquent Mitchell teenager." He smirked even more broadly.

Next to Katy, Peggy was shaking with anger. She only just managed to control herself, knowing he would make things harder if she exploded. "She wants to make a statement. When you're ready."


	19. Chapter 19

Katy was incredibly glad that she had Peggy with her in the interview room. Pat was waiting in the reception for them. The teenager shuffled on the cold, hard plastic chair and glanced around. Peggy squeezed her hand, reassuring her.

"Did… anyone else… see it?" Katy asked in a low voice. She hoped that Peggy would understand that she was referring to her sisters.

"No." Peggy shook her head. "The girls and Danny were all in the pub. But if anyone else saw it, I can't promise they won't hear about it before we get back."

Katy nodded, looking at the table. She heard the door open, but didn't bother to look as two people entered the room. The smirking police officer and another man sat in the two seats opposite the two Mitchell women. Katy took a deep breath, collected herself and did her best impression of having the 'Mitchell attitude'.

"Interview started at 19:10. Present are DC Ian Lewis, Sergeant Kenny Morris, Katherine Mitchell and Margaret Mitchell." The smirking man said, pressing the button on the recorder that sat on the table. Then he opened a folder which had Katy's name on the front. Inside were several documents. "So, Miss Mitchell, where were you at approximately 2am Thursday April 8th 2010?"

"Asleep in some doorway near Paddington Station." Katy said bluntly. "I got the twenty to ten train from Newport on Wednesday and got into Paddington two hours later. Then I had to wait until the next morning to come to Walford and I couldn't afford a hotel so a doorway was the next best thing."

The police officers exchanged glances; clearly they had been hoping she didn't have an alibi. Katy leant back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. She looked at Peggy who stared at her, having no idea that Katy had slept rough that night. She tightened her grip on her niece's hand.

"Why did you leave so late at night, if you couldn't get the next train until the next morning?" Lewis asked her suspiciously.

"Because it was a cheap ticket and I'm not exactly made of money."

"Convenient that you decided to leave the night that Mrs Wilson was murdered?"

"I didn't even know she was dead until we heard it on the news and I came straight in." Katy said, upset. "Besides, why would I want to hurt Mrs Wilson? She took me in when I had nowhere else to go."

"Why did you decide to leave? Had you had an argument?"

"No! Not at all. She told me that I might have family in Walford and I decided to come and find out. She leant me some money to get here. I was going to phone her when I got here, but I never got a chance… my battery died and I haven't charged it. Maybe if I'd…" She was going to say maybe if she'd phoned her she wouldn't be dead, but if she'd died when they said she did it wouldn't have made any difference.

Lewis considered her for a moment and then changed tack. "Was there anyone who could have wanted to harm Mrs Wilson?"

"No, why would they? She was just an old lady." Katy said confused.

"Are you sure?" Katy nodded. "Please speak, for the tape."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"What about you? Is it possible that someone was looking for you and came across Mrs Wilson instead?"

Katy paused. "I don't know! I can't… I can't think of anyone."

"It says in your file," he slid a document across the table towards her, "that you were once cautioned for antisocial behaviour involving a gang. You've also had cautions for shoplifting and vandalism. Not to mention being questioned about a series of burglaries."

Katy blushed, hearing her past brought up in front of her aunt. She didn't want Peggy to get a bad opinion of her before she even got to know her.

"Well… that was ages ago. I was just a kid. We lived on a rough estate and I got in with the wrong crowd. Then my mum got ill and I had to grow up. We moved to another part of the estate and I haven't seen any of that gang since I turned fifteen." Katy said defensively. "Check the dates, nothing since 2003."

Lewis grudgingly had to admit that she was right. "Is it possible that any of these gang members could have come looking for you?"

Katy shook her head vigorously. "No. Like I said, I haven't seen them for two years."

"Ok, Miss Mitchell, I think that's all for now. Interview terminated at 19:20." DC Lewis said. He didn't seem totally convinced by her last statement, but Katy didn't care. She followed the police officers out of the interview room and allowed them to take her fingerprints, apparently so that they could eliminate them from the crime scene.

"We will probably need to speak to you again, Miss Mitchell." DC Lewis said as Peggy put her arm around the teenager and started to lead her away. "Please make yourself available should we request to see you."


	20. Chapter 20

"Alright?" Pat asked, as Peggy and Katy appeared back in the reception area. Katy nodded but couldn't speak. Her mind was whirling. What if Mrs Wilson's death had been her fault somehow? She couldn't see why the gang would have come looking for her, but it would have been all too easy for them to trace her to the house.

"I'm proud of you." Peggy said when they were sitting in the back of a black cab, heading back towards Albert Square. Katy looked up at her in surprise. Whatever she had expected Peggy to be feeling towards her after the revelations in the interview room, it definitely hadn't been pride.

"Why?" Katy asked confused.

"Because you held your own in that interview room like a proper Mitchell and that's tough." Peggy said seriously.

"I have been practising my 'Mitchell attitude' as mum used to call it." Katy told her, half joking.

"We don't need any more Mitchell attitude around here!" Pat joked back, making all three laugh and lightening the atmosphere slightly.

The cab stopped in front of the Vic and Katy climbed out. The weather was chilly for April and Katy shivered as she waited for Pat to pay the taxi. She hadn't thought about putting on her coat when they had left for the police station and was now regretting it.

"Drink?" Peggy asked. Katy glanced at Pat, hoping she would turn down the offer. Katy didn't feel like facing lots of people just at that moment, especially if any of them had seen her face plastered over the news. Pat didn't seem to take the hint however and Katy followed the two women into the pub.

As they entered the sound levels dropped dramatically and everyone turned to look at them. Peggy and Pat ignored them and made their way up to the bar, Pat pulling Katy along by her arm. Katy felt as she wanted the ground to swallow her up at that moment. Everyone was staring at her.

"I can't do this." She muttered under her breath.

"Yes you can." Peggy said firmly. "You're a Mitchell."

From feeling as though she were finally earning her surname in the back of the cab, Katy suddenly found herself wishing that she was nameless again.

"Can we have two G&T's and a coke, Roxy darling?" Peggy asked the blonde barmaid who was looking at Katy as though she were something on the bottom of her shoe.

"You can have the G&T's," Roxy said spitefully, "but I'm not serving her." She jabbed a fake nail in Katy's direction. "Murdering little gold digger."

"Roxanne Mitchell -" Peggy started furiously but Katy put a hand on her arm and stopped her.

"It's OK." She said quietly. "I told you this was a bad idea."

"No, it's not OK." Peggy fumed. "She's your sister, whether you like it or not!" She shouted, in front of the whole pub. Katy looked at the floor as she heard shocked exclamations all around her. Peggy turned to face the punters, putting her hands on her hips. "And all this about her on the news is rubbish. We've just been down the station and sorted it all out. So I don't want to hear any more about it, right?"

Gradually the noise levels in the pub returned to normal and people stopped staring at Katy. But she still felt uncomfortable, sipping the coke that Roxy had reluctantly put in front of her. In fact Roxy had put it down so hard that most of it had splashed over her. The older Mitchell smirked at her handiwork and Katy looked down, tears threatening to form in her eyes. At home she never cried. In Walford, apparently she cried all the time.

"I've got a headache." She said quietly. "I'm going to go home."

Pat smiled sympathetically and nodded. "I'll tell Peggy where you are." She said and rubbed the teenager's arm.

Katy left the pub with her head down. To her relief no one stopped her as she crossed the square and, as she let herself into Pat's house, it was evident that there was no one in. She wasn't sure where everyone was, but it made her plans easier. She ran up the stairs and picked up her bags. She pulled her mobile charger out of the socket and shoved it into her rucksack. Then she went down to the kitchen and scribbled a note to Pat and another to Peggy.

_Mrs Evans (and everyone else),_

_Thank you for everything you've done. Staying with you made me realise what a family is really about. Don't take it for granted. _

_I'll be in touch when I work out where I'm going and what I'm doing._

_Love, Katy X_

She folded the note and wrote 'to everyone' on the front. The second note she had to write was far more difficult. She didn't have a clue where to start to write down what she was thinking. She didn't want to upset her aunt, especially after everything Peggy had done, and tried to do, for her. But she needed to go.

_Dear Auntie Peggy,_

_I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I've just ruined everything._

_Thank you for believing me. I won't forget that._

_Love, Katy x_

Then she folded the note, left them both with her house keys on the table and slipped out of the back door. Katy headed for the tube station, with no idea where she was heading after that.


	21. Chapter 21

Katy sat on the floor of the tube station. She wasn't entirely sure how long she had been there; all she knew was that a lot of trains had been past and she hadn't got on any of them. She didn't want to leave Walford, but she didn't see how she had any other choice. Now Ronnie and Roxy had rejected her, staying would be more painful than leaving.

"Three more trains and then you're getting on the next one." She told herself under her breath. Wherever that train was going, that's where she would end up. The end of the line. She just hoped it wasn't near Newport. Katy didn't need any more memories being brought up.

"One." She said, watching a train slow to a halt at the platform. A man got off and a young woman with a buggy got on. The train set off again.

"Two." A few moments later another train stopped. No one got on or off.

"Three." Katy sighed, feeling finality settling on her. Tears started to threaten to fall again. As the train pulled off, Katy stood up and gathered her two bags. She didn't notice that she was actually crying as she stood resolutely on the platform waiting for the next train. As it came into view, Katy felt as though she was about to break down, but somehow she held it together.

"You're a Mitchell." She repeated over and over under her breath, trying to stop herself getting emotional. She had only been in Walford three days, but Katy felt like it was where she belonged. "But you can't stay." She told herself sternly.

The train stopped in front of her and Katy waited for the doors to open. There was a hiss and Katy stepped forwards. She put one foot inside the train.

"WAIT!" Katy turned and saw Whitney running towards her. Bianca, Pat and Peggy were all behind her, hurrying to catch up. "Katy!"

"I can't stay." She said, tears running down her face.

"But you don't want to go either." Whitney said. "Or you'd have left before now. You've been here almost an hour."

"I don't want to go." Katy agreed. "But I've got no choice."

"Why not?" Peggy demanded. The others had caught up. Out of the corner of her eye Katy saw the conductor coming along the platform to see what was happening.

"Because Ronnie and Roxy don't want anything to do with me and I can't stay here and deal with that. I can't do it." Katy said quickly.

"Are you getting on, or not?" The conductor said rudely. Katy looked helplessly around the faces, before she nodded.

"Bye. I'll be in touch." She said and turned, walking towards the carriage. The doors closed behind her and the warning beeps sounded. Katy sat in the seat nearest the carriage door so that she wouldn't see their faces as the train moved off. She closed her eyes and leant her head backwards, tears silently leaking from beneath her eyelids.

Suddenly there was a bang on the door and they opened again. Katy jumped and turned to see Ronnie and Roxy stood outside on the platform, both breathing heavily.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ronnie asked, raising an eyebrow.


	22. Chapter 22 Ronnie and Roxy

**A re-cap from Ronnie and Roxy's POV **

**Big thank yous to ****Brooklynn70****, ****NickyWho**** and ****Louiejanes**** for your comments **

"Oi!" Roxy shouted as the teenage girl whose presence she found so unsettling rushed past her and out of the pub. She looked behind her, confused to try and work out what had gone on. The pub was noisy and crowded so she hadn't heard the shouting from upstairs.

"She was upstairs with Peggy and Ronnie." Danny said innocently, purposefully stirring up trouble. "They told me to come down stairs."

Roxy went to the hallway just as Ronnie was storming down the stairs. She banged out of the pub through the back door, leaving Roxy staring after her.

"Ron!" Roxy shouted through the door, but her older sister ignored her, making her way back to her own flat. The blonde then decided to go and speak to her aunt. She made her way quickly up the stairs and poked her head round the living room door.

"What's going on?" She asked. "What's up with Ron?"

"Nothing, darling." Peggy said calmly. "I just wanted a word with Katy and accidentally upset

Ronnie. She'll be alright when she's calmed down."

"Danny said you sent him downstairs." Roxy continued, determined to find out what was going on.

"Yeah, I thought you could do with a hand, darling." Peggy said in the same calm voice. "I've got a bit of a headache, I might go and have a little lie down."

Roxy watched her aunt leave the room and shut her bedroom door firmly. She was sure something was going on and she was determined to find out what it was. The woman was about to leave the room and go back down to the pub when her eye fell on the photo album that Peggy had left on the coffee table.

Curiously she flicked through until she came to the photo of herself and Ronnie. She stared at it in confusion, not understanding what it meant. She flipped the page and saw the photo of Archie and Karen. Her mind started whirring as she started to make connections.

She picked up the birth certificate and stared at it. Then she looked at the letter, indisputably written in her father's handwriting. She sat down on the sofa looking at the words in front of her. She couldn't believe them. She wouldn't believe them.

Roxy threw them back onto the table and went downstairs. She rang the bell behind the bar.

"Two for one drinks for the next half an hour!" She shouted and laughed as the clamour to be served started.

About half an hour later, a very pale Peggy came down to the bar. "I'm just going to Pat's." She called over her shoulder to Roxy as she went.

Roxy stiffened. The girl was staying at Pat's, she remembered. But she didn't have long to dwell on that piece of information as the pub was busy as she was soon back in the swing of things, serving pints to the regulars.

About half an hour later Roxy jumped as Ronnie appeared beside her out of nowhere and jerked her head to usher her upstairs. The younger sister indicated to Danny that she was going upstairs and he nodded, looking curious.

"Did Auntie Peggy tell you?" Ronnie said bluntly.

"No, I found the things." Roxy said, angrily. "Why did she tell you and not me?"

"Things?" Ronnie looked confused. "What things?"

Roxy showed her the album, birth certificate and letter. Ronnie looked at them in astonishment. She looked at the photos for what seemed a long time to her impatient younger sister who was waiting for some kind of explanation.

"It was true?" She said quietly.

"Ron… dad would have told us if we had a sister." Roxy said, imploringly. She wanted her sister to tell her it wasn't true.

Ronnie snorted in derision. "No he wouldn't. He told me my daughter was dead." She said simply.

"But it can't be true. It just can't." Roxy said.

"Why? You were only too happy to believe Danny when he said he was our brother. Why should Katy be any different?" Ronnie asked.

"Mum told us that Danny was our brother. Katy announced that she's our sister."

"It also says it on her birth certificate and there are photos. And that letter." Ronnie argued.

Roxy was stopped from replying by Danny, who appeared in the kitchen. His eyes were glinting and his face was flushed with excitement.

"You'll never guess what." He said to his sisters. Without waiting he continued. "That Katy girl's been plastered all over the news. She's wanted for questioning about the murder of the old lady she was living with."


	23. Chapter 23 Ronnie and Roxy

**Ronnie and Roxy's POV continued. **

Danny's sisters looked at each other, mouths open. Then Roxy rushed downstairs and appeared behind the bar just as Peggy, Pat and Katy walked into the pub. Everyone went silent, staring at the teenager, who looked as though she would rather have been anywhere but there at that precise moment. Roxy felt a pang of sympathy, which she soon dismissed. She didn't want to believe that her father would have abandoned Katy and lied about her for all this time.

"Can we have two G&T's and a coke, Roxy darling?" Peggy asked calmly with a smile, completely ignoring the tension in the pub.

"You can have the G&T's, but I'm not serving her. Murdering little gold digger." Roxy spat angrily. She was angrier at her father, if she would admit it to herself, but she wouldn't.

"Roxanne Mitchell -" Peggy started furiously but Katy stopped her and shook her head slightly.

"It's OK. I told you this was a bad idea." She said quietly, looking as though she was about to cry.

"No, it's not OK." Peggy shouted. "She's your sister, whether you like it or not! And all this about her on the news is rubbish. We've just been down the station and sorted it all out. So I don't want to hear any more about it, right?" She shouted at the rest of the pub. Katy was doing her best to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

Roxy pouted and narrowed her eyes. Maybe calling Katy a 'murdering little gold digger' was going slightly too far but Roxy still found it hard to believe what seemed to be becoming more evident about her father. He was not the man she thought he was. It was made worse by the fact that Peggy had told Ronnie the truth, and not her.

She poured Katy a coke and bashed it down in front of her, smirking as it splashed the teenager's t-shirt. Peggy had gone upstairs to talk to Ronnie, leaving Pat and Katy alone at the bar.

"I've got a headache. I'm going to go home." Roxy overheard Katy saying to Pat. She watched as the teenager walked out of the pub, head down to avoid all the staring.

"Stupid cow." Roxy muttered under her breath, feeling a pang of guilt as she did so.

When Roxy had gone downstairs, Ronnie turned on the television, looking for a channel that was reporting on the story. She flicked onto the BBC news channel just as the report was coming to an end.

A photo of Katy was filling the screen and the reporter was announcing, "Investigations are continuing into the cause of Mrs Wilson's death and police urge Miss Mitchell, or anyone who has information about the case, to come forward as soon as possible. The seventeen-year-old is about five foot three, has shoulder-length dark hair and blue eyes. She has no known living relatives and police would urge anyone who has seen her to come forward."

Ronnie sat in complete silence, barely moving. She had both hands over her mouth as she stared at the photo of Katy that was still on the screen. Then she picked up the photo album and flicked through it.

The small dark-haired girl looked a lot like Roxy had done when she was younger. Ronnie took a deep breath.

"She's our sister." She said, finally completely believing it was true. But was she a murderer as well?

"Ronnie?" Peggy said, almost sounding unsure of the reaction she would get from her oldest niece.

"Did she do it?" Ronnie asked plainly, pointing to the television which she had paused on the photograph of her sister.

Peggy shook her head. "No. She was sleeping in a doorway near Paddington at the time."

"What?" Ronnie asked, shocked.

Peggy repeated everything Katy had told her at Pat's house. She then repeated everything that she had said in the interview room. Ronnie listened in silence, taking everything in. When Peggy had finished talking, the younger woman considered things for a minute.

"She's our sister and she's innocent." She said at last. "I believe her."

Peggy's face burst into a wide smile. "I'm so glad." She said and got up to answer the knock on the living room door.

"Peggy. She's gone." Pat said hurriedly, pressing Katy's note into her friend's hands. Ronnie stood up and read the note quickly.

"She'll have gone to the tube station." She said in a business-like tone. "Go after her. I'll talk to Rox."

The two older women rushed out of the pub. When she had shouted for her sister to come upstairs, Ronnie watched them meeting up with Bianca and Whitney and heading over to the station. Roxy came into the room, her head on one side.

"She's leaving, Rox. Our sister is leaving." Ronnie said, her voice full of emotion.

"So?" Roxy said shrugging. "If the police are after her… what's it to us? We don't know her."

"Rox!" Ronnie exclaimed. "She's innocent." She gave her sister a speeded up version of what Peggy had told her. "She's our sister… after Danielle… maybe she's my second chance?"

"She's not your daughter, Ron." Roxy said seriously.

"No, I know. But she's our sister and she needs us."

Roxy hesitated for a moment, sighed and nodded. Ronnie hugged her tightly and then the two women rushed out of the living room, pushing past Danny who was standing in the doorway listening, with a curious look on his face.

They raced to the tube station and got through the barriers, hoping they weren't too late. A crowd of people was standing round a door to the train, which was shutting. Ronnie sped up, her sister just behind her.

Peggy glanced over at them sprinting along the platform. She was crying.

"She won't stay." Peggy said.

"We'll see about that!" Ronnie said, determinedly. She ignored the fact that the conductor was waving his arms and bashed the 'open door' button as hard as she could. The doors beeped and began to open. Ronnie leaned through and saw Katy jump.

"Where do you think you're going?" The oldest of the three sisters asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.


	24. Chapter 24

Katy was very quiet as the group made their way back through the tube station and towards the Square. Suddenly, now that she was confronted by her sisters, she didn't know what to say. She had spent her entire life rehearsing the conversations she would have with them, playing out scenes in her head where they acted like a real family. But now that it was reality she didn't know how to act.

Peggy had her arm around Katy's shoulders, as though she was worried that the teenager would turn and ran away again. Ronnie was holding her rucksack firmly.

"So… do you still want to stay at ours?" Bianca asked awkwardly. She was the first to say anything since Katy had got off the train.

"I think so." Katy said nodding. She glanced at her sisters, who were resolutely not making eye contact with her. "I think it's a bit too soon to move anywhere else."

Peggy squeezed her tighter and smiled, reassuringly. Katy smiled weakly back. Since stopping the train, Ronnie had barely looked at her, let alone spoken to her. Roxy hadn't even said anything. But just the fact they were there was enough for the teenager at the moment.

"Well, I guess we should make it official." Ronnie said in her usual calm tones as they reached the Vic. Katy looked at her in confusion as her older sister held out her hand. The dark-haired teenager took it, nervously and Ronnie pulled her into the pub. Roxy followed close behind Katy and the others piled in afterwards. Katy shot Whitney a confused look, which her friend returned with a shrug.

"Listen up, everyone!" Ronnie shouted over the noise in the bar. Roxy rang the bell again, attracting everyone's attention. "Listen up! This is Katy, our sister."

"And if anyone's got a problem with her then you come and see us, yeah?" Roxy added feistily, putting her arm around Katy's shoulders protectively. The teenager felt her cheeks going pink and she did her best to look like a Mitchell. Well, what she thought a Mitchell would look like at that point, anyway.

Gradually everyone fully accepted Katy and she was able to relax around her family. After about a month Peggy suggested that the teenager moved into the Vic and Katy was only too happy to accept. Ronnie became very protective of her youngest sister, evidently thinking about her words to Roxy, _'maybe she's my second chance'._ Roxy too was growing close to her sister.

Danny did not react well to having Katy around. Out of everyone he was the least happy to accept her as one of the family. Glenda had disappeared before Katy was revealed as Ronnie and Roxy's half-sister, but Danny stayed around.

Katy immediately took a dislike to him and he always seemed to be watching her. On more than one occasion she had walked into a room and found him talking quietly into his mobile. He always hung up when he noticed her. One day in early May she heard him discussing some kind of plan with the person on the other end of the phone.

"It's working perfectly." He muttered in a low voice. "They trust me completely and they haven't noticed anything…. No… She's no threat. Yeah, she seems thick as– What? Yeah, we'll have it sooner than I expected." He laughed and glanced up, his eyes meeting Katy's. Immediately he hung up the phone and started towards Katy who tried to get out of his way. He was faster and dragged her into the living room, closing the door and pushing her roughly up against it.

"Get off!" Katy choked, hitting out. Danny was much stronger than she was and tightened his grip. "Ow!"

"You ever tell anyone about what you just heard and you'll be very sorry, sister or no sister." He said menacingly. He kept his grip on her until she nodded in agreement. Then he let her go, striding out of the room as she rubbed her neck.

After that Katy was reluctant to go anywhere near him, something that the others noticed. She begged Ronnie to let her move into her flat, just so she would be further away from him. Occasionally, when things weren't going the way Danny wanted he would take his frustration out on the teenager; not very often, but every now and then. When Glenda returned in June and revealed that Danny wasn't Archie's son and was trying to con Roxy out of her money, Katy was immensely relieved; especially when her sister threw him out.

"You knew, didn't you?" Ronnie said quietly and conspiratorially to her youngest sister when all the fuss had died down. "Why didn't you say anything?" Katy just lifted her sleeves and pulled the neck of her top down slightly, revealing the angry bruises Danny had given her. Ronnie hugged Katy tightly.

"I'm sorry." She said, her eyes full of emotion. Katy just nodded again.

Glenda was back for good, though, and became jealous not just of Peggy's close relationship with her daughters, but also Katy's relationship with them. She routinely criticised the teenager, commenting on the way she looked after her little niece when she was babysitting. Roxy just rolled her eyes and ignored her mother's comments, perfectly happy with Katy's treatment of her baby daughter. When Glenda moved into Ronnie's flat, she suggested that Katy move back into the Vic so that there was more room for the two of them. The plan backfired as Ronnie moved out as well. Gradually, though, Glenda got used to the teenager being around and was even civil to her.


	25. Chapter 25

**This chapter is about Ronnie's rape reveal – Just a warning **

**(From now on the speech in italics are direct quotes from EE ****)**

In the summer, not long after Ronnie and Jack set a date for their wedding, things got more dramatic for the family. Dark secrets started to simmer to the surface.

The Mitchell women had been wedding dress shopping and, when everyone started talking about Archie back at the Vic, Ronnie had escaped back to her flat. There was something obviously wrong so Roxy and Katy had followed her and were doing their best to find out what was the matter. They kept pushing and pushing, giggling like children until finally Ronnie snapped.

"Dad!" She screamed suddenly. Roxy and Katy looked at each other in confusion.

"What about Dad, Ron?" Roxy asked, getting a bit annoyed. Katy had discovered that whatever their father had done, Roxy found it hard to believe anything bad about him. Ronnie, understandably in Katy's opinion, was the complete opposite.

"_He raped me, Roxy, and I couldn't stop him._" Ronnie screamed. Katy's mouth fell open and she stared between her sisters in complete shock. Roxy leant back in her arm chair, looking furious. She didn't seem to be able to look at Ronnie.

"Not this, again!" She said, angry at her sister. The youngest sister looked between the other two quickly. Archie had raped Ronnie and all Roxy said was 'not this, again'? How could she take the news so lightly? Ok, Roxy didn't believe their father was as bad as everyone made out, but Ronnie wouldn't make something like that up, surely?

A noise behind Katy made her glance round and she saw Jack, Peggy and Glenda standing in the doorway, looking exactly like the teenager had seconds before. Ronnie looked up too, giving them a startled wide eyed look. She hadn't intended anyone else to hear.

"_Explains everything now, doesn't it._" She said to them in a calm, expressionless voice. "_Mad, screwed up Ronnie._"

Peggy, Jack and Glenda came into the room as Ronnie opened up, telling them what had happened. Katy was in too much shock to take it all in. She had never known their father, but the idea that he could abuse his own daughter… she felt sick.

"_He said it happened because I let it._" Ronnie said in the same dead-pan tone.

"_No, don't say that._" Peggy said, her heart obviously breaking at her niece's words. "_Whatever happens darling, it was not your fault._"

"_But I didn't stop it, did I?_" Ronnie said, emotion bubbling over in her voice.

Katy didn't want to hear anymore. She tried to block out her sister's words and the next thing she knew Roxy had launched herself at Ronnie.

"Rox!" Katy screamed, pulling her sister off and holding her down in the chair. Ronnie burst into tears and Katy knelt by her feet holding her sister tightly. She believed Ronnie completely, she had no reason not to. Roxy stormed out, closely followed by Peggy.

Jack and Glenda both said that they believed Ronnie and Katy kept hugging her older sister. Her eyes were stinging and tears were falling down her cheeks as she thought about what her sister must have been through. She was almost grateful that she hadn't known her father, as she thought about how her life could have been. Katy put Ronnie to bed and stayed with her, holding her sister's hand as she sobbed quietly.

The next day, Glenda and Katy managed to persuade Roxy to talk to Ronnie; to listen to her properly. The teenager was more than relieved that they managed to work things out and Roxy finally believed her older sister. Peggy, however, was still not convinced. She couldn't believe that the man she had loved, the man she had married, could do something that evil and she wouldn't have suspected. Katy secretly thought that she was angrier at herself than Ronnie but, being Peggy Mitchell, she couldn't admit she was wrong. The teenager was hurt, knowing that everything was falling apart.

Life went on and in mid-August R&R re-opened. Ronnie let Katy come to the opening night, as long as she promised to steer clear of alcohol, seeing as she was still only seventeen. Katy sighed and made a big deal out of being annoyed about this condition, but secretly she was thrilled that Ronnie had agreed and not bothered about not being able to drink.

"Oh no!" Katy said, spotting Glenda and Peggy having a heated conversation. She turned to Jack who was working behind the bar.

"I'll keep an eye on them." He promised, seeing how worried the teenager was. "You just keep out of trouble."

Katy grinned and winked. But she was still unsettled. Between the two women, all her loyalty lay with Peggy Mitchell; the Queen of the Vic. But since she had refused to believe Ronnie, Katy was torn. She was hoping, more than she had ever hoped before, that Peggy would come to her senses, and quickly.

From her perch on the bar stool, Katy continued to watch the older women suspiciously. Glenda said something and Peggy recoiled slightly, looking shocked. Katy's ears pricked up, but the club was too loud for her to hear the conversation. Peggy backed away and left Glenda standing looking worried. She turned and glanced at Katy, who raised her eyebrows and looked away. Her mind whirled as she thought about possible explanations for the scene; Glenda was probably just trying to wind the older woman up. Earlier, Katy had overheard her telling Peggy, _'I've won"_, and assumed she was just carrying on the gloating.

"Watch out." Jack hissed as a warning, pointing over to where Ronnie was standing. Peggy had made her way over and was talking in a low voice to the blonde woman. Katy jumped off her stool and rushed over doing her best to look casual, just in case. Glenda apparently had a similar idea and appeared at Ronnie's elbow.

Peggy was apologising to Ronnie for not being supportive when Glenda, who had drunk far too much champagne, butted in.

"Ignore her!" She screeched. "She's twisting things."

Ronnie looked between the two women, her forehead furrowed as she tried to work out what was going on. Then the penny dropped. Her eyes met Katy's as both Mitchell girls realised the truth at exactly the same moment. Glenda had known about Archie's abuse.

"_You knew?_" She asked, tears forming in her eyes. Automatically Ronnie reached out and clutched her sister's hand.

"_No, Ronnie, no!_" Glenda said in a pleading voice. "_You're way off the mark._"

"_I'm right, aren't I?_" Ronnie said, looking at Peggy who sobbed slightly and shook her head.

"_I'm sorry._" Her aunt said, tears forming in her eyes.

Ronnie led her mother to the office, wanting to talk to her alone. Katy crept up to the door and peeked in, wanting to be there for her sister if she needed her. Glenda was sitting, probably safer considering how much she had drunk, by the desk and Ronnie was standing a little way off, her arms wrapped around her, as though she was trying to comfort herself.

"_I want to be your mum._" Glenda said, crying. Ronnie looked at her disdainfully and shook her head. She learnt towards the older woman, almost threateningly and jabbed her finger at her mother.

"_You'll never be my mum._" She spat, narrowing her eyes.

Katy jumped away from the door as Ronnie came striding out. She moved forwards to comfort her sister but Ronnie pushed her away gently, her eyes full of tears.

"I just want to be on my own." She said in a soft, tired voice and walked out. Katy narrowed her eyes at Glenda who stared back. She thought about giving her a piece of her mind, but thought better of it. Ronnie probably wouldn't be impressed.

"She'll come round." Glenda said confidently, more to herself than the teenager. Katy saw red and stormed into the office. The door crashed into the wall and bounced off it, slamming shut. Glenda jumped and tried to focus her gaze on the teenager.

"You hurt her and I'll break you." She said in a low, threatening voice. Her eyes were narrowed and she was white with anger. Katy's hands were gripping the arms of Glenda's chair so tightly that her hands were hurting.

"You're not even a proper Mitchell." Glenda said spitefully. "Veronica and Roxanne will soon get bored of their little plaything and you'll be out and I'll be back in."

"Don't count on it." Katy said with a smile. In the back of her mind she'd had a niggling worry since she'd arrived and Glenda had put it into words. She ignored this, though, and took hold of Glenda's glass. With a smirk she emptied it into the woman's lap and pushed the glass back into her hand. "Oops!"


	26. Chapter 26

It took Ronnie a long time to trust Glenda again. She refused to even speak to her. Glenda was also refusing to speak to Katy, which was no great loss to the teenager. Phil was also making trouble for the Mitchells. Katy had been sitting in the kitchen of the Vic when Peggy, Billy and Minty appeared on the landing, dragging a drugged up and furious Phil behind them.

"Open the door, Katy!" Peggy ordered pointing at the living room. The teenager did as she was told, standing back as her cousin was deposited into the room. He landed heavily on the floor and Peggy announced that it was for his own good and he wasn't being let out until he was off the drugs.

Phil being there was more of a nuisance than anything else; until a day or two later. Katy was sitting at the bar with Whitney, whose brother had just married Janine Butcher. The two teenagers were laughing about Whitney's sister-in-law and making bets about how long the marriage would last. Katy predicted about six months but Whitney thought it would be much, much longer.

Suddenly Peggy appeared behind the bar, ringing the bell and shouting about a fire.

Katy glanced at Whitney, who was trying not to laugh at the sight, in confusion and started towards Peggy to ask if she was ok. All of a sudden there was an almighty explosion and the teenager was thrown backwards. The Vic was immediately filled with dust and fire and screaming. Peggy had been sent sideways by the blast and Katy tried to get to her aunt, coughing as the smoke caught in her throat.

"Katy!" Whitney screamed, realising what her friend was trying to do. The teenager ignored her friend, determined to help her aunt. She got to the bar and tried to climb over it. "Ricky!" Whitney was screaming.

The youngest Mitchell sister suddenly felt strong arms around her waist and she was dragged away from the bar and out of the pub. Katy started kicking and punching her rescuer, who didn't seem to notice. Ricky dumped her on the concrete beside her sisters, who grabbed on tightly, fussing over her.

"No!" Katy screeched, fighting and trying to escape from them so that she could get back inside the pub. "Auntie Peg!"

"She was here!" Roxy told her sister looking around for her aunt. "Katy, Auntie Peg was here."

"She's gone back in…" Ronnie said in disbelief. "Auntie Peggy!"

They were forced to hold Katy even more tightly as the girl doubled her efforts to escape her sisters' grip and go back into the burning building. She was crying and coughing and desperate. Ronnie and Roxy were right at her side when, as Peggy appeared from the burning pub with Billy and Phil, Katy ran to her aunt, throwing her arms round her and crying hysterically.

"I thought… I thought…" She stuttered, unable to complete the sentence. Ronnie and Roxy flung themselves at their aunt as well. Peggy hugged them back, coughing from smoke inhalation and shaking her head. Everyone else turned their attention to Phil, who was laid on the ground behind them, but Katy stayed with her aunt, slipping her hand into the older woman's and holding it tightly.

"_Let it burn!_" Peggy repeated over and over again, staring devastated at her beloved pub. Katy buried her face in her aunt's shoulder, holding onto her tightly in case she decided to do something stupid, as the blazing sign fell to the ground with a crash. Neither moved and Ronnie had to reach out and drag the pair backwards out of harm's way.

After an almost sleepless night's sleep Katy found that she needed some fresh air. She went out early, without anyone noticing. No one thought about the teenager, they were all too swept up in their own thoughts. When Katy returned to the flat she shared with her older sister and her fiancé, she found Peggy and Ronnie on the sofa, hugging.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly. She was dreading the answer, knowing it was going to be something big.

"Auntie Peggy's leaving." Ronnie said, bursting into fresh tears. "She's leaving us."

Katy shook her head in disbelief. "No, you can't."

"It's for the best, darling." Peggy said, holding out her hand to her youngest niece. "Everything will be alright, I promise."

"You can't leave us." Katy said through her tears, copying her sister and burying her head in Peggy's top. Hot tears fell from her eyes, soaking her aunt's clothes. Katy took in her familiar flowery scent as Peggy stroked her head soothingly.

"You need to look after your sisters, Katy, do you hear me?" Peggy told her seriously, lifting the teenager's chin with her index finger and looking into her tear-stained face.

"I can't… I need you." Katy said, barely audible, looking down so that she wouldn't meet her aunt's eyes.

"No you don't." Peggy said with a smile. "You are a Mitchell; a proper Mitchell, whatever anyone else says. And don't you forget it." It was almost as though she had heard Glenda's words in the office at R&R.

She disentangled herself from her nieces' grips and went to the door. Katy couldn't even look up as she went. Ronnie stood and went after her, but her sister didn't even feel as though her legs would be able to move. Instead, Katy went to the window and watched as her aunt and sister went into Number 27, presumably so that Peggy could say goodbye to everyone else. Katy stood motionless, one hand on the cool window pane.

Peggy came out of the house and walked, upright with her head held high towards the pub. She gave a quick glance in the direction of the flat and, as her eyes met Katy's she gave a little nod. Katy broke down, falling to the floor, sobbing so hard that her entire body shook. Ronnie and Roxy appeared at that moment and wrapped their arms around her, all three crying and hugging.

"We'll be ok." Ronnie said at last. "I promise."


	27. Chapter 27

Katy hadn't heard anything else about Mrs Wilson's murder and she assumed that meant that she wasn't suspected of doing anything. She was relieved. On the other hand, the murder obviously hadn't been solved, or they would have heard about it. That filled the teenager with fear. What if someone HAD been looking for her that night and found Mrs Wilson instead?

The teenager had to try and forget about her fears, though, because she had bigger things to deal with. Sam, Peggy's daughter, had given birth to a baby boy. Roxy had told Katy all sorts of things about Sam and Katy, even though she didn't know her cousin at all, took an immediate dislike to the woman. It was made worse by the fact that it turned out that Richard, Sam's son, might be the result of the brief affair she'd had with Jack.

Sam was useless with the baby, she didn't even try. Every opportunity she got she farmed him out to one of her cousins to look after. It made Katy incredibly awkward because Sam was convinced that Ricky, Bianca's husband, was Richard's father. Whitney had told Katy that she wasn't sure what would happen to Ricky and Bianca's marriage if it turned out that he was the father. The teenager was disgusted at her cousin, but she couldn't let her baby suffer because of it.

"Why do you look after her kid?" Whitney asked one day when she and Katy were sat on the swings, Richard's pram between them. Her friend shrugged.

"It's not his fault and she's useless."

"They're getting the paternity test results today." Whitney said. Katy nodded. She wasn't sure which result would be worse; Richard being Ricky's or Jack's. Either way someone was going to be devastated.

"What d'you think B'll do if he's Ricky's?" Katy asked.

Whitney shrugged. "She's pretty upset already. I think she's scared that if he is Ricky's, Ricky'll leave her. She tried to cover her back by throwing him out, but Ricky said he loves her, not Sam."

"Good." Katy said with a grin. "Who in their right mind would choose Barbie over Bianca? But I reckon Sam thinks that if Richard is Ricky's son, he'll leave B. She lives in a dreamland."

"How's Ronnie?" Whitney asked. Katy hesitated. Ronnie had told her, along with Jack and Roxy, that she was five months pregnant. The teenager didn't want to tell anyone, even her best friend, in case Ronnie didn't want people to know just yet.

"She's ok. Apparently Auntie Peg told her to give Glenda another chance, so Ronnie's said she can come to the wedding. I don't think she's really forgiven her though, I'm not sure if she ever will." She grinned. "I caught the end of the conversation. Glenda said she'd do anything she wanted and Ronnie just gave her this look. You know, the one she gave me when she caught us nicking that bottle of vodka from the Vic?"

"Really?" Whitney laughed, remembering the evening perfectly.

"Yeah, and Glenda gave me this really satisfied look as she walked past me, stuck-up cow." Katy said, glancing at her watch. She knew that the woman would take great delight in doing all she could to stir up trouble for the teenager. "What time were they going to phone the clinic?" Whitney turned Katy's arm so that she could see the time.

"Now." She said. "Shall we go back to ours and see if we can hear?" Katy grinned and jumped off the swing. They raced back to Whitney's, pushing the baby between them and went into the house. They left Richard in his pram in the living room with Liam, Tiff and Morgan and crept to the kitchen door.

The girls fought to look through the key hole. Katy shushed Whitney as the younger girl giggled, trying not to laugh herself. Then they settled down as they heard Sam on the phone.

"Hello?" Sam sounded nervous, as though she mentally had had her fingers crossed, hoping for the answer that she wanted to hear. The girls glanced at each other, raising their eyebrows. "It's Samantha Mitchell here, I'm calling about my son's paternity test results…"

Katy reached for Whitney's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"_And that's a hundred per cent accurate, is it_?" Sam said. "_Ok… ok, thanks._"

"_Well tell us._" Bianca demanded in a voice that Katy had rarely heard her use before. The teenager could hear the dread in her voice as she spoke. Whitney squeezed her friend's hand even tighter.

There was a pause. "_It's Ricky's._" Sam said. Katy could imagine the satisfied smirk that would be playing around her cousin's lips as she said the words; she could hear it in her voice. For a moment her heart leapt, realising that the news meant it wasn't Jack's. Then she felt Whitney's hand go limp.

"I'm sorry." She murmured. Whitney shook her head.

"Don't be. It's Ricky's fault." The girls scarpered into the living room as the kitchen door opened. They heard Jack and Ronnie leave.

"I'd better go." Katy said, rolling her eyes. She ruffled Tiffany's hair as she went, making the girl pout and smack her on the bum as she passed. Katy laughed, wheeled the pram out of the house and headed in the direction of Arthur's bench, deciding to let Jack and her sister celebrate alone for a few minutes.

She lost track of time, flicking through a magazine, and suddenly heard shouting from the direction of Whitney's house. Curiously, Katy peered through the bushes and saw both her sisters, Jack, Bianca, Ricky and Sam in the street.

"_You could have ended my marriage!_" Ricky was saying loudly to Sam, who had her arms crossed and was looking at him, the usual arrogant smirk on her face. "_You're sick, you know that? You lied about the kid's dad? That's proper mental that is._"

"_She told me to do it, Ricky._" Sam replied in a whiney voice. "_She told me to fix it. Ronnie made me lie._"

Katy wanted to smack her cousin in the face. Everyone was now looking at Ronnie, who was looking uncomfortable.

"Ron?" Jack said, looking at his fiancée, hoping that Sam was lying. Ronnie said nothing, but she looked around at everyone gathered there silently before she turned and walked off back to her flat. Katy went back to sit on the bench, trying to think. Her eyes prickled with tears, thinking about the bad luck that Ronnie always seemed to get. Nothing seemed to go right for her older sister.

A text came through on her mobile; '_Sam lied, the baby is Jack's. X'_

Katy sighed and put her phone back in her pocket. She would text Whitney back later, but she wasn't in the mood to do it right now. She glanced down at the baby who was blinking up at her. He was so little and yet he'd caused such a big mess.

"This is all your fault." She said to him, not really meaning it. "You and that bimbo mother of yours." She meant the last part.

Standing up, Katy pushed the pram out of the gardens and over to the Butchers' where Sam, Ricky, Bianca and Roxy were still standing, arguing. She stopped the pram in front of her cousin and stepped backwards.

"I think this is yours. You can deal with him from now on. He's your problem, leave me out of it." She snapped and walked off.

"Katy!" Sam called after her desperately, evidently terrified of being left alone with her new born son.

"You heard her." Roxy said, proud of her little sister. "Deal with it." She marched after Katy, throwing her arm round her shoulders as she caught up.

Sam turned to Ricky and Bianca just as their front door slammed shut. "Oh god." She said, looking down at the baby in his pram.


	28. Chapter 28

The two Mitchell sisters went to the café, rather than going straight back to the flat. They both decided that Jack and Ronnie needed some time to talk things through before they barged in on the scene.

"You listened to Auntie Peggy's advice then?" Roxy said, clutching her coffee mug. Katy looked at her, not understanding what she meant, and took a swig of her tea. "When she told you that you were a proper Mitchell, and not to forget it. Ronnie told me."

"Oh that." Katy said. "Yeah, I guess." She hesitated for a moment, considering what she wanted to say. Roxy drank from her cup, looking over the rim at her. "Rox… do you wish that I hadn't found you?"

"What? No, Katy, of course not! You're my little sister, yeah?" Roxy said forcefully. "What's got you asking that?"

"Nothing… forget I mentioned it." Katy said shaking her head. She drained her cup and sat back. "I'm gonna go home, I think."

"Yeah, I need to go and pick up Amy from nursery and then I'll meet you at the flat. Ok?" Roxy said, giving her sister a swift hug and heading out of the café.

Katy shot Jane a quick smile and put the empty cups on the counter. Then she made her way across the square. Another text from Whitney came through as she walked; '_Are you ok? X'_ The teenager considered what she wanted to say for a few seconds before she started typing. _'Yeah… Ron wouldn't make her lie about something like that. Barbie's just covering her back. X'_ She sent the text and put her phone away, trying to convince herself it was true.

She let herself into the flat and was just in time to hear Sam ask Ronnie and Jack if they would take the baby. Katy looked gobsmacked at her sister, who looked equally surprised. Tactfully the teenager went to her own bedroom, leaving the adults to talk.

'_Get here quick, Rox. The bimbo wants Ron and Jack to take care of the sprog.'_

She typed the text to her sister quickly and then sat on the edge of her bed, wondering what to do next. She didn't have to wonder for long before there was a soft knock on her door. Ronnie poked her head around and, when her little sister smiled, she came into the room and sat next to Katy on the bed.

"Ron…" Katy started nervously. But Ronnie threw her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly before Katy could say anything else. Katy smelt her sister's perfume, which she found comforting, and hugged her tightly back.

"Jack wants us to have Richard." She said quietly. "But I don't want to share Jack. I want it to just be me, him and our baby." Katy's heart sank slightly and her feelings must have been displayed in her face because her sister smiled slightly and cupped her chin. "And you, silly! And Rox and Amy, of course."

"Have you told Jack?"

"How can I?" Ronnie asked, downhearted. "He wants his son."

"Roxy is on her way," Katy said calmly. "When she gets here, we'll figure something out, ok?"

"What would I do without you?" Ronnie asked, smiling weakly.

"What _did_ you do without me?" Katy asked, returning the smile.

The next day, Ronnie headed off to meet Sam in the café like they had arranged. Katy watched her sister go from her bedroom window. She hoped Sam would take the money and leave. It would make life simpler for all of them. Jack would be heartbroken, but when his and Ronnie's baby arrived he'd forget all about it. Hopefully.

Katy sighed and turned on her laptop. She logged into the social networking site and looked through her messages. There was an invitation to some party that Katy had no intention of attending. She sighed and logged out again, not knowing what to do with herself. Instead she started watching episodes of some sitcom on the internet, to distract her. A while later she heard Ronnie come back and, as arranged she went out, saying she'd be back later. Ronnie wanted to break the news that Sam had taken Richard away to Jack in private.

Several cabs were leaving the square as Katy crossed it, heading to meet Whitney. She saw Heather all dressed up, carrying her son. Confused, Katy rang the bell of the Butchers' house and waited until it was opened. Bianca looked as though she was going to say something to her about the whole Sam fiasco but then she evidently decided not to bother and smiled.

"Alright, Katy? Whit's upstairs I think."

"Thanks, B." Katy said, slipping past the red-head and into the hallway. "What's with all the cabs? Why is Hev all dressed up?"

"Little George's christening." Bianca said.

"Oh…" Katy said, losing interest and heading upstairs to see her best friend.

About an hour later Katy's mobile began to ring and she fished it out of her pocket. _Ronnie_ was flashing up on the display. The teenager answered it, curious as to the reason her sister would be phoning her.

"She's gone." Ronnie said quickly.

"Who, Sam?" Katy asked, grinning. "How do you know?"

"Apparently she turned up at George's christening and tried to persuade Minty to go with her. Even he didn't want to know."

"I don't blame him. Eurgh, she's such a skank."

"Katy." Ronnie said warningly, although her sister could hear amusement in her voice. "She's still our cousin."

"Sadly… so it's over then? She's really gone?"

"It seems like it. I feel sorry for Heather though," Ronnie said, sympathetically. "Sam tried to steal Minty from her."

"So she's tried to ruin three relationships in a couple of days? What a girl." Katy said sarcastically.

"Oi!" Ronnie said, but Katy could tell that she wasn't angry. "Dinner's in about an hour. Make sure you're home."

Katy hung up and turned to Whitney, who was looking at her curiously. She had a triumphant grin on her face. "Barbie's gone." She said simply. Another Mitchell crisis averted.


	29. Chapter 29

"We're going to have a traditional Mitchell dinner tonight at Phil and Shirley's, but we're cooking." Ronnie said one morning to Katy. The teenager looked up from the cartoons she'd been watching with Amy and stared at her older sister.

"Are you insane?" Katy asked. She had never been to one of the famous Mitchell family dinners, but had heard enough stories about them, mainly from Roxy and Jay. They seemed like a laugh, but always ended in drama.

"No." Ronnie snapped, annoyed at her sister's lack of enthusiasm. "And you're going to help me cook."

"What?" Her sister whined. "Why?"

"Because it's a bonding exercise. We can get to know each other better." Ronnie said, pulling a packet out of the fridge and banging it onto the counter. Katy rolled her eyes and pulled herself off the sofa.

"We already know each other." She said, tying her hair up nevertheless. "And why do we need to bond?"

"If you're going to be like this…" Ronnie said, slamming things around. Katy caught hold of her older sister's arm and smiled at her.

"Of course I'll help." She said. "I was only kidding."

Ronnie smiled and threw an apron at her. "We'll start with the pudding."

For a while they made small talk, gossiping about their neighbours, laughing and messing around. After about half an hour, Roxy arrived and decided she would help as well. It was nice, the three of them spending time together. Even little Amy got her hands dirty.

"What was it like?" Ronnie asked suddenly, her tone becoming very serious. "Your childhood?"

"What?" Katy was taken aback by her sister's sudden question. They were sitting round the table having a tea break. Rather than having to make eye contact, the teenager suddenly became very interested in the bits of dough attached to her hands. "It was hard."

"Not having a dad?" Roxy asked quietly.

"Sort of… but not really." Katy said confusingly. "What I mean is I never had a dad, so I never really missed it. Mam never had any boyfriends or anything… she was still waiting for Archie to come back. But of course he never did."

"Did she really think he would? Come back, I mean?" Ronnie said, leaning forwards slightly. Katy looked at her and nodded.

"She refused to admit that he'd abandoned us. He could never do anything wrong in her eyes. But then again, she was ill. I never really told anyone what it was like when I was a kid. No one ever wanted to hear."

"I do." Ronnie said gently, holding her sister's hand.

"Me too." Roxy agreed, taking the other one and squeezing it.

"I knew that she was ill when I was really little. It's my first memory; knowing my mam wasn't normal. She was diagnosed with depression when I was eight, but there was more to it than that. When I started school she used to tell me not to listen to anything they said because they would try to brainwash me. She couldn't stop me going, because it was the law, but I wasn't allowed to listen." Katy sighed. "I was so embarrassed of her. She'd come to pick me up in her nightie and slippers. All the other kids would laugh at her and I'd laugh too, because she was the local nutter."

"Why didn't you get any help?" Ronnie asked.

"Because I'm a Mitchell." Katy said with a weak grin. "That's what mam used to say; I wouldn't admit I needed help because I had Mitchell blood. We lived on this really tough estate. Our flat got broken into eight times in one month; not that we had anything worth nicking. In the end our neighbour phoned the doctor because she was fed up of seeing me looking like I'd been neglected. They put her on medication, but that didn't do anything. By the time I was twelve she was on so many tablets that it took me a good five or ten minutes to sort them for her."

"You did that, on your own?" Roxy said stunned.

"What choice did I have?" Katy replied with a sigh. "I'd phoned Archie and he said that none of you were interested in us."

"He said that?" Her younger sister was shocked. "He never told us…"

"Archie told mam that he'd told both of you about me and you didn't care. Mam's best friend Jane, who used to live next to you, said that wasn't likely and that neither of you, especially Ronnie, would have ignored their baby sister. I didn't know why it was 'especially Ronnie' for ages, not until I got here and heard about Danielle."

Ronnie flinched at the mention of her daughter, which both her sister's noticed. Katy opened her mouth to apologise but Ronnie pre-empted her and shook her head. "It's OK. She was right; we would never have ignored you if we'd known."

"Auntie Peg said something about you having a record…" Roxy said slowly, not wanting to annoy her sister. She thought that seeing as Katy was telling them a lot, she might share that too.

"Yeah…" Katy said with a wry smile. "I told you I lived on a tough estate. The main past times for us kids involved getting into trouble. I was always small and skinny and the older kids found me useful for getting into houses that they couldn't."

"You were a burglar?" Roxy exclaimed, shocked. Her sister nodded.

"I was pretty good at it too. Never got caught once." She sighed. "But mam got really bad when I was fifteen, just before actually. We got moved into a nicer area; we got given a house and everything. I decided then and there to turn my life around. Not that it was worth it."

"What d'you mean?" Ronnie asked, looking at her hard.

"I got pregnant not long after we moved and my boyfriend dumped me. I had an abortion because I couldn't cope with mam and a baby. I couldn't just abandon mam and there was no one else… for a while I started stealing her pills, just to get through the days. But then days turned into weeks and months and I was still taking her pills. Maybe if I hadn't had the abortion… maybe if I hadn't stolen her pills… well maybe she wouldn't have killed herself." Katy said angrily, banging her head on the table.

"Don't say that, Katy." Roxy said seriously. "Never say that."

"She's right, though." Ronnie said quietly. "You do wonder. I've often thought about it. Maybe if I hadn't ignored Danielle, maybe if I hadn't taken her to get that abortion… maybe she wouldn't have died and maybe I'd even have a grandchild now."

"Listen, yeah." Roxy said, more serious that Katy had ever seen her. "What's done is done and nothing we can do will change it. It's just us three, Amy and this little one in here." She touched Ronnie's stomach lightly. "We're closer than ever and we will be OK. I promise."


	30. Chapter 30

_**Thanks for the comments – this chapter does move on quite a bit, but it slows down again after this!**_

Things were quiet on the Mitchell front and Katy was spending a lot of time helping Whitney come up with ideas for Billie's birthday party. Since they had broken up, Whitney had been heartbroken, but she was adamant that she was arranging the party as his friend, nothing else. Katy didn't really believe her, but she went along with it anyway, vaguely amused.

Carol, Billie's mum and Whit's step-grandmother, wasn't keen on the teenagers arranging the party. She wanted it to be a family thing, but between them, Whitney and Bianca managed to convince her that the two parties weren't mutually exclusive.

On the day before Billie's birthday, Whitney and Katy were messing around on the internet when Whitney stumbled across an invitation to Billie's birthday celebrations; in Southend. Katy put her arm around her friend as Whitney burst into tears. Carol was equally upset when she realised that her son wasn't intending to come home for his birthday.

Bianca was angry. She swore the teenagers to keep her plan a secret from her mother and then set off to Southend to bring her brother back. Katy and Whitney spent the day getting ready for the big party. They had spread the word around the square, unbeknownst to Bianca and Carol, and were expecting a big turnout.

"You've got to get over him, Whit." Katy said loudly, over the music coming from the iPod dock. "Set your sights on someone else."

Whitney laughed. "Who else is there around here?"

"What about Peter? He's cute and Ian's got cash." Katy said with a cheeky wink. Her friend burst out laughing, but Katy's words had got her thinking. The older girl smirked to herself as she watched Whitney straighten her hair. She could almost see the cogs whirring in her head.

Later on, when the party was in full swing, Katy was amused to see Whitney pulling out all the stops flirting with Beale junior. She grinned and poured herself another mug of vodka. Out in the hallway she had just noticed Kim Fox launch herself at a defenceless Ricky and spat out her mouthful, choking as she collapsed into giggles at the sight.

"Oi, K." Lauren Branning said, pushing her mate gently as she giggled helplessly. Lauren handed Billie a bottle of vodka and everyone started chanting 'down it!' and laughing as the birthday boy gulped down the alcohol. Katy cheered loudly as he dropped the empty bottle. She looked around for her best friend, but Whitney and Peter had vanished. Grinning, she downed the rest of her vodka, screwing up her face as the after-taste hit her.

"Hey babygirl," Fat Boy said, sidling up to her, "let Fats refill that drink, yeah?" Katy giggled and collapsed slightly as the numerous drinks she had already got through took effect. Fat Boy caught her laughing.

Twenty minutes, and a couple more drinks, later and they had left the party and were kissing passionately on Arthur's bench. Katy pushed him away and started to laugh loudly. She danced away from Fat Boy until he caught up with her. She pulled him towards her and leant against the wall of the boarded up Vic.

"Katherine Mitchell!" A furious voice said and Katy broke free of Fat Boy's kisses and turned to look at her sister who was stomping over in her dressing gown. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Which one of you is talking?" Katy said screwing up her eyes and trying to work out which of the two Ronnies she could see was shouting at her. She started giggling as Fat Boy's hands moved on her body, tickling.

The blonde woman marched over and dragged Katy away from the wall. "Go home." She said to the boy and dragged her sister back to the flat.

"You should be asleep." Katy said, trying to sound serious. She pointed shakily at Ronnie's stomach. "There's a baby in there."

"I know." Ronnie said shaking her head and pushing her sister into her bedroom. "So go to bed before you wake Jack."

When the door shut, Katy pulled out her mobile trying to stifle her giggles. She sent Whitney an unreadable text, which was meant to say; '_Where are you? Ron just caught me kissing Fat Boy and went crazy!_' but which actually said; '_Ehret ate you? Tron husdt caught mew kiddung fsatbouy and werbt crazx!_' She clicked send and promptly fell asleep, fully dressed on top of the covers. She didn't wake up when Ronnie came in a few moments later to check on her. The older sister sighed and smiled as she looked down at Katy, who looked so angelic asleep. She shook her head and manoeuvred the teenager into bed properly.

"I love you, Ron." Katy mumbled, opening her eyes slightly and smiling. Ronnie stroked her sister's cheek tenderly and then went back to bed smiling to herself. She remembered what it was like to be young and she was very glad that her sister's experience was different from hers.

The next morning Katy woke to the sound of crashing about in the kitchen. She blinked and tried not to open her eyes. The curtains had been left open and the light was pouring through them straight into her face.

"Eurgh." She said pulling the covers over her head. Her movement and comment had obviously been heard because Ronnie opened the door and grinned.

"Morning waster." She said pretending to be annoyed. One look at her sister's pale face and she laughed. "Get up, I'll make you a cuppa."

"How did you even hear me?" Katy asked, squinting at her sister. "You have the hearing of a bat!"

Ronnie laughed and went into the kitchen. Katy got out of bed, groaning as her head started thumping, and quickly changed out of her skinny jeans and put on joggers and a zip-up hoody. She didn't bother to change her vest-top. She went into the kitchen and sat down, resting her head on the table. Ronnie laughed and bashed the mug of tea onto the surface.

"Ron!" Katy groaned. The beat of the song on the radio, _Written in the Stars_ by Tinie Tempah, was reverberating through her head and making it thump even more. "Can we turn the radio off?"

"Nope. You dragged me out of bed last night, it's your punishment." Her sister said brightly, but she did turn the music down before sitting next to her. She stroked Katy's head gently.

"How did you know I was out there?" Katy asked, lifting her head so that she could take a drink.

"I could hear you laughing, sweetie." Ronnie said with a grin. "You are so loud, just like Roxy. I was worried Dot would be after you! But seriously, babe, Fat Boy?" Katy groaned, putting her head back on the table.

"RON? KATY?" Roxy shouted, letting herself into the flat. Amy ran to her younger Auntie, who swung her niece onto her lap, tickling her and ignoring the thumping in her head when she moved. "Have you heard? Billie Jackson's dead!"


	31. Chapter 31

"Dead?" Katy repeated, shocked. Then she jumped up, putting Amy gently on the empty chair. "Oh god, Whit."

"You can't go over there." Ronnie said seriously. "They won't want you getting in the way."

"I have to ring her." Katy said, panicking. She grabbed for her phone which had fallen off her bed and onto the floor. It was unlocked on the screen showing her the text she had sent her best friend the night before. Katy cringed and switched to the home page, dialling her number.

"Come on Whit." She muttered as the phone rang and rang.

"This is Whit. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you… if I can be bothered." The answerphone message said.

"Shit!" Katy swore, biting her thumbnail. She paced up and down the living room constantly trying to get hold of Whitney. Ronnie and Roxy perched on the sofa watching her anxiously.

"Leave it a bit." Ronnie suggested. "Let her sort things with her family, yeah?"

"No!" Katy snapped, dialling the number again.

"Katy…" Roxy pulled the phone out of her sister's hand and pulled her down on the sofa. "It's OK."

"It's OK?" Katy repeated tears in her eyes, "How is it OK? Billie's not much older than me. He's younger than you. What if…"

Roxy hugged her tightly and Ronnie moved so that she was on Katy's other side, hugging her too. Even Amy, who didn't understand what was happening, climbed onto her Auntie's lap.

"Don't think like that." Ronnie told her, holding her sister's chin and looking into her eyes. "Come on, we'll take Amy to the park; all four of us. You could do with the fresh air."

"What about Whit?" Katy asked.

"There's signal at the park, isn't there?" Ronnie said. "When she wants to speak to you she'll call."

As the Mitchells passed the Butcher house they saw paramedics, police and an undertaker's van. Katy covered her mouth and looked as though her legs were going to collapse underneath her. Ronnie caught hold of her and practically manhandled her past the house and all the way to the park. She dumped her sister onto the bench of a picnic table and sat next to her.

"Pull yourself together, babe." Roxy said, lifting Amy onto the bench beside her and handing her a packet of magic stars. She smiled at her little daughter stuffing the chocolate into her mouth.

Katy's phone started to ring and she struggled to answer it quickly.

"Hello, Whit?" She breathed down the phone. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

"He text me." Whitney said in a stunned voice.

"What?"

"Billie… he text me last night. _'Come home, I still love you'_."

"Wha- Where are you?" Katy demanded, standing up and shaking Ronnie's hand off her arm.

"In the alley… by my name." Katy understood what her friend meant and nodded, even though Whitney couldn't see her.

"I'll be there in two minutes." She hung up and put her phone in her pocket. "She's by the graffiti Billie did for her in the alley. She sounds bad." She kissed Ronnie on the top of her head and blew kisses at Roxy and Amy.

Then she ran as fast as she could to Whitney. Her friend was kneeling on the ground in front of the giant 'Witney' spray-painted on the wall. She had lit a load of candles and propped up a bunch of flowers in a kind of shrine. She had also placed the army man doll Billie had given her against the wall. Katy dropped to the ground beside Whitney and looked at the candles.

"Let's see it then." Katy said holding out her hand for Whitney's phone. The teenager handed it over silently, clutching a photograph of her ex-boyfriend.

Just as Whitney had said, there was the message, _'Come home, I still love you'_. Whitney had replied, not that long ago. _'I love you too.'_

"What if I had gone home?" Whitney asked quietly. She seemed more in shock than upset at the moment. "Maybe…"

"Don't talk like that." Katy said. She knew what it was like to question herself over something like this. She had done it constantly after her mother's death. If she hadn't gone ice-skating with her school friends then she would have been around and maybe her mum… She shook her head. It didn't do any good to think like that. She said so to Whitney who reached out and held her hand tightly.

Whitney broke down, crying deep sobs that racked her whole body. Katy held her hand tightly, letting the tears that were falling from her own eyes drop silently onto the pavement. They stayed there for over an hour, in silence. Then Katy stood up and lifted Whitney with her.

"Come on, let's get you home." She said quietly, leading Whitney back to her house.


	32. Chapter 32

"I think we should try and get you a place at Walford High." Ronnie said suddenly. She and Katy were sitting on the sofa watching TV, a plate of biscuits balanced on Ronnie's bump. The teenager looked at her sister as though she had gone mad and leant away from her slightly so that the older woman would realise just what she thought of the idea.

"Why?"

"Because you're wasting your life working in the caf and on Ian's stall." Ronnie said sensibly. "You're a smart kid and I know you could do so much more."

"Let me work in the club, then." Katy said with a shrug. "I know I can't work behind the bar until December, but I could help with the paperwork and stuff."

Ronnie shook her head. "No."

"But school? Why?"

"Because it would be good for you."

"I got eight GCSE's and they were pretty crap." Katy said stonily. "I only got into Sixth Form because the school made allowances 'cause of my mam."

"Well go and re-do your exams then." Ronnie said simply.

"No way!" The teenager was getting annoyed with her older sister now. "I'll be like two or three years older than everyone else!"

"You'll be in the same year as Jay." Her sister said, brushing the complaints aside. "And anyway, if we go and have a word with the Headmaster I'm sure we can get you into year 12 with your grades. You can just finish the year you dropped out of; you're clever enough to be able to get through your AS Levels in the summer. Then you'll be with Peter and Lauren. But you are going to school, Katy."

"I'm almost eighteen, you can't tell me what to do. You're not my mam." Katy snapped, sensing that this was an argument that she wasn't going to win and folded her arms grumpily. Ronnie looked as though she'd been slapped and stood up quickly. The teenager realised that the last comment was a step too far and groaned inwardly. She was reluctant to apologise though.

"I'm going to bed." Ronnie said shortly, not looking at her sister. "Tomorrow's Monday. We'll go to the school in the morning." She walked into her bedroom and slammed the door, leaving Katy sitting on the sofa, looking blankly at the television and wishing that she hadn't opened her big mouth.

The next morning Katy still felt awful about what she'd said to her sister. Ronnie was in the kitchen when the teenager went to get some breakfast. The older woman barely looked at her as she crossed to the kettle and put it on.

"Ron…" Katy said, unable to bear the thought of her sister being upset. "I'm really sorry, about what I said."

"It's OK." Ronnie said shortly, not meeting Katy's eyes.

"No, it's not. I was a right cow. I don't know where I get it from…" Katy was sure she had seen the corners of her sister's mouth twitch towards a smile.

"Let's just forget it, yeah?" Ronnie said, making the tea for Katy. She put it on the table and sat down as well, cupping her hands round her own mug. "Are you ready to leave when we've drunk these?"

"I really have to go then?" Katy asked, hoping Ronnie would have decided against the plan. Her sister just took a sip of her drink and nodded. Katy sighed. "Alright."

"What lessons do you think you'll take?" Ronnie asked, her head on one side. "The same ones as you were doing last year?"

"Yeah, makes sense." Katy said with a shrug. "History, Geography, English Lit and Politics."

"Wow!" Ronnie said, taken aback. She hadn't realised that her sister had taken such academic subjects. She'd been impressed when Katy had said she'd got eight GCSE's, whether they were crap or not, it was more than either she or Roxy had managed.

"Yeah… I'll probably drop Lit for next year though." Katy said with another shrug. "It gets dead boring all that analysing." Ronnie just nodded. Katy hesitated before speaking again. "Listen… I really am sorry, you know. In the seven months since I got here you've been way more of a mam to me than mine was in the seventeen years I lived with her. To be honest, I'm far more likely to listen to you than I ever was to listen to her."

Ronnie was incredibly touched at her sister's words and felt her heart swelling with love for the unruly teenager. She didn't want to risk talking, because she didn't think her voice would respond and she would probably just end up making an embarrassing squeaky noise. Instead she smiled weakly at Katy, hoping she understood.

"I mean it, Ron. I know I'm a cow at times and I know that I don't always think before I act, but I never got to talk about anything with mam, so I'm not really good with feelings and stuff and I tend to just blurt things out without thinking."

"Come here, you." Ronnie said with a smile, pulling Katy into a tight hug. "Hey, Rox is the same and she doesn't even have your excuse." Katy grinned.

"Shall we get this over and done with then?" She asked, resigning herself to the inevitable. The sisters left the flat and made their way to Walford High where, without telling her sister, Ronnie had already made an appointment to see the headmaster.


	33. Chapter 33

The cab pulled up outside the school gates and the sisters climbed out, one reluctant and the other business-like. Katy looked around and groaned; this school looked like more of a dump than her last one. Ronnie shot her a look that blatantly said 'don't start'. The blonde started leading the way towards the reception, her younger sister following half-heartedly.

"Veronica Branning." Ronnie said to the snobby looking woman behind the glass window who had looked up as the pair entered. "We've got an appointment with Mr Alcock about Katherine Mitchell."

The woman looked both females in front of her up and down, sneering slightly and signalled that they should take a seat. Katy glared at her, but another warning look from her sister made the teenager keep her mouth shut.

"You already made an appointment?" Katy demanded, accusingly.

"You are not allowed to sabotage this meeting." Ronnie warned threateningly, ignoring her sister's question. Katy rolled her eyes but nodded. Visibly her sister relaxed, reaching out for the magazine that was lying on the coffee table between them and the snobby receptionist.

"Nah, mate!" A teenage boy said loudly as he and his friend burst into the room. "I was telling him that I hadn't done it, but he weren't having none of it!" They stopped when they saw Katy and Ronnie and the boy who had been talking whistled.

"That blonde is well fit!" His friend said, not bothering to keep his voice down. "And the other one ain't too bad neither." Katy rolled her eyes at their words. She shot Ronnie a quick look out of the corner of her eye and saw that her sister was trying to stifle an amused grin.

"Yeah, shame about the bump." The first boy said as they passed and Ronnie automatically put her hand on her stomach. "But the brunette's more my type. She's hot."

"Eurgh." Katy said as they exited through the doors to the right of the teenager. "Grades are so not worth that." Ronnie laughed.

"Ignore them… I don't want you getting into any fights before you've even got a place."

Katy was stopped from replying by the door opening and a tall, fairly young man poked his head into the waiting area and smiled at them.

"Mrs Branning?" He said, holding out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Mr Alcock. You must be Katherine, nice to meet you." He held his hand out for Katy to shake as well.

"It's Katy, actually." She said taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Well, Katy. If you'd like to follow me we can have a chat in my office." Katy shot Ronnie a look, which her older sister returned with even more attitude. They followed the man into a large, well-furnished office and took the two seats next to each other in front of his desk. On the desk was a photograph of two little girls, who Katy took to be his daughters. Without thinking, she picked up the frame and looked at the photo closely. Ronnie pulled it out of her hands and replaced it, glaring at her sister.

"We were really wondering, realistically, if Katy could carry on where she left off in year 12." Ronnie said. "Obviously she'd have to put a lot of work in to get to the standards she was at before, but she's a smart kid."

"Well, we've had a look at Katy's academic records, but it's the attendance we're more concerned with. Obviously your old school informed us of your difficulties having to care for your mother…" Mr Alcock said, almost embarrassed to be talking about such a sensitive topic.

"There won't be any attendance issues now." Ronnie said, almost warningly to both her sister and the headmaster. "Katy lives with me and my husband, so there isn't anything stopping her attending school."

"Well, Katy. What subjects were you thinking of studying. I'm assuming you'll stick with the ones you were already taking, but all four? Or were you thinking of dropping a couple?"

"No. I'd like to do all four." Katy said quickly. If she was going to have to attend school, she might as well go the whole hog and take all four subjects.

"Right then, I don't see any problem with Katy joining year 12. The only thing left is to decide when you're going to start." Mr Alcock said with a warm smile. The teenager who was sitting slumped in the chair was thinking maybe next week, but her sister had other ideas.

"As soon as possible, tomorrow even, if she can." Ronnie said quickly, knowing that her sister would try to put it off for as long as possible. Katy looked at her outraged, but the headmaster smiled.

"Tomorrow is lovely. I'll have to send a few memos and get some things sorted, but we should be able to squeeze you in nicely, Katy. Is there anyone in year 12 that you know?"

"Lauren Branning," Katy said quickly, "and Peter Beale."

"Lovely." Mr Alcock said, scribbling their names down on a scrap of paper. "I'm sure we'll be able to put you in the same form as them, to make things a bit more comfortable for you."

"Great, thanks." Katy said sarcastically and her sister kicked her underneath the desk. Ronnie smiled warmly at Mr Alcock and stood up, shaking his hand.

"Thank you so much, Mr Alcock. I'm so grateful to you for getting her in."

"That's my pleasure, Mrs Branning." He said, beaming at the blonde. "We'll see you tomorrow then, Katy. I'm sure Lauren or Peter will be able to show you where to go."

As they left the office, Katy glared at her sister. "I hate you, you know that?" She said grumpily. Her sister laughed and put an arm around Katy's shoulders.

"No you don't." She said. "You hate that I can read you like a book."

"True… But you do realise that the only reason he was so nice is because he fancies you." Katy said with a sly grin, poking her sister in the ribs.

"Shut up!" Ronnie said, blushing and pushing her sister back. Katy laughed.

"You so know I'm right!" She said, beaming.


	34. Chapter 34

_**Thank you for the comments! I know you don't really like the bits where stuff from the storylines is happening, but that's just kinda background to tie the story together. I'm trying to cut those parts down a bit, so please bear with me! Hope you're enjoying it overall though! :) B x**_

Katy went to school the next morning and, as soon as she got back into the swing of being in lessons time flew quickly. She hated not having as much freedom, but her being at school seemed to be making her sister happy which was the main thing at the moment, seeing as Ronnie was trying to plan her wedding and get ready for the birth of hers and Jack's baby.

With Kat and Alfie the new landlords of the Vic, things were changing on the square. Roxy was still acting like Lady Moneybags, but her sisters could tell that she was getting more and more agitated by her money situation. As the opening of the new-look Vic got closer Katy started to get more annoyed by it. It was Peggy's pub; she was the Queen of the Vic. The Vic was Mitchell property.

But not anymore.

When the Vic eventually did re-open, Roxy took her bad mood out on Kat Moon, who was just as pregnant, as Ronnie. After being asked by Alfie to help out behind the bar, she spent the day doing her best to wind Kat up. They ended up in a fight, with Roxy losing her hair extensions and Kat being thrown out of the pub by Alfie to calm down. As it was a Thursday afternoon, which the teenager had free, Katy was working on Ian's stall and saw the whole palaver. She grinned at her sister's hard-done-by face, not convinced by it for a moment.

Katy was waiting to walk back with her sister later on and it was incredibly cold for an early November evening. The seventeen-year-old was hopping up and down moaning at her sister to hurry up. Roxy and Alfie were laughing with each other outside the Vic.

"We get it," She whined, "he's grateful, you were happy to help."

"Shut up, Katy." Roxy said laughing. "_Come here! You did well, granddad._" She said hugging him.

Alfie laughed and lifted her up slightly. The blonde laughed and bashed him on the back to make him let go. Katy stamped her feet and muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'get a room'. Roxy laughed and put a firm hand round her sister's shoulders.

"Night, granddad." She said laughing. The younger Mitchell sisters turned to make their way back to the flat, where Jack and Ronnie were looking after Amy when a shout from the direction of the Vic made them turn around.

Kat turned the hose on Roxy, soaking her from head to toe. Beside her sister, Katy screamed as ice cold water splashed all over her. Roxy made some unintelligible furious noises and Katy pushed her towards the flat.

"Mad cow!" She screamed over her shoulder at the laughing woman as she pushed Roxy, who was muttering about revenge, indoors.

Luckily, the next morning, Roxy's mind was firmly on Ronnie and Jack's wedding. She dragged Katy out of bed to help her with the planning. When she heard that Kat and Alfie were planning to get re-married on the same day, Ronnie agreed to let Roxy go all out and plan the wedding of her dreams.

"Why did you say that?" Katy groaned at her elder sister, as Roxy dragged her out of the flat. The teenager knew that now she had free reign, Roxy would go mad. Ronnie laughed and waved them goodbye. She thought that Roxy was going to drop Katy off at school on her way into town, but her younger sisters had other ideas.

"Right," Roxy said clapping her hands, "first thing's first; flowers." Katy groaned.

"Ronnie'll kill us both if she finds out I've skived on my first week at school."

"Its fine, Ron won't find out." Roxy said waving their sister's mobile at Katy with a grin. "Besides, it's Friday. Friday's aren't important."

Katy grinned and shook her head. "Right, if we're going to get flowers you'll need some money, won't you?" Katy said and Roxy pointed at her, grinning.

"Plan!" She said with an excited squeal. "Let's go!"

Katy got into her sister's car and shook her head as Roxy turned up the radio and zoomed off round the square. They stopped at a cash point and the blonde woman jumped out to withdraw some cash. She put her card into the machine, wiggling her bum still dancing to the beat of the song they'd been listening to and making Katy laugh at her stupidity. Then she stopped messing around abruptly.

"What?" She shouted in disbelief at the machine. Katy sighed and got out of the car, thinking Roxy had forgotten her PIN or something. She wandered over and rested her chin on her sister's shoulder.

"You forget your PIN again?" She asked with a grin.

Roxy turned to stare at her, looking as though she had seen a ghost. "My account's empty."

"WHAT?" Katy shouted, realising at once that her sister was deadly serious. Roxy didn't joke about money. "How can it be empty? How much have you spent?"

"I don't know!" Roxy said, throwing her hands in the air. She bit her lip and fiddled with her hair. "What are we going to do? Ronnie's wedding…"

"You've got that spare money in your boot, right?" Katy said, thinking hard. Roxy nodded. "Well, we'll just have to use that for now and then work out what to do from there. That'll cover the flowers, right? And the venue and food?" Roxy nodded slowly again.

"Maybe… but it won't pay for the flowers I wanted… they're too expensive."

"We'll think of something." Katy said, trying to reassure her sister. Her mind was whirling madly as she tried to think of a way of making some money fast. A thought crossed her mind, but for the moment she dismissed it, unwilling to even allow it to become a serious possibility. Katy got back into the car and waited until Roxy joined her.

"Ronnie'll kill me." The blonde said, banging her head on the steering wheel.

"We're not going to tell her until AFTER the wedding." Katy said seriously "Right?"

"Right."

"We've got today and tomorrow, yes?" Katy said. Roxy nodded. "Then we'll figure something out. Ronnie and Jack are at that Kylie girl's trial so we can think of something before she gets back."

When they arrived back in Walford, Roxy had told Glenda about her money problems. She then proceeded to put all the money she had on a bet at the bookies. Katy was doing everything she could to raise more money to put towards the total and, when she bumped into her sister who told her what she'd done, the teenager went crazy.

"What is WRONG with you?" She hissed, pulling Roxy behind a stall so they were out of view. "You don't know anything about horse racing."

"It's fine, Alfie told me which one to choose." Roxy said shrugging. "And if it wins I'll have four times as much."

Katy shook her head, then took a deep breath. There was no point arguing and, if Roxy's horse did win, they'd have more money than they needed. "Ok, if you're sure, I'll trust you." She held up a couple of gold items of jewellery.

"Where did you get those?" Roxy demanded suspiciously.

"You'd rather not know." Katy said evasively. "I'm off to pawn them. I'll see you in a bit."

She went off to get some money for the jewellery. When she was younger, Katy had been good at crawling into small spaces, which was why she had been so popular when it came to burglaries. The teenager wasn't proud of going back to her old ways, but she was trying to help her family.

With a pocket full of notes she made her way back to the square, bumping into Roxy who was evidently in a terrible mood.

"What's up?" Katy asked exasperatedly. "Did it lose? I told you it was a stupid idea!"

"No." Roxy snapped. "The poxy horse won."

Katy was confused, screwing up her face. "So… what?"

"That… WOMAN… didn't put the money on. She was trying to be responsible." Roxy said in a fake posh voice, imitating her mother.

"Glenda?" Katy asked and Roxy nodded, fuming. "Well, I got three hundred. It won't go far, but it's something."

"How…?" Roxy started but Katy stopped her.

"You honestly don't want to know, trust me. Now let's go get this wedding sorted, yeah?"


	35. Chapter 35

The next day, which Roxy had nicknamed 'T minus one' as it was the day before the wedding, Katy and Roxy were up earlier than usual. Ronnie was suspicious, but they assured her there was nothing the matter. Then they promptly disappeared. Ronnie shook her head and sighed. As long as they were at the Argee Bhajee later she didn't care what they were getting up to.

"How much have we got?" Katy demanded, pulling Roxy into an alley.

"Not enough."

"Oh god." Katy bit her lip as her sister started to cry.

"Hey?" Alfie said quietly, hearing the blonde crying. He came into the alleyway and hugged her comfortingly. "What's wrong?"

Roxy spilled the whole story and he listened. Katy rolled her eyes and tried to think of solutions while her sister talked. Katy was suddenly aware that her sister was telling Alfie about Ronnie's abuse. However nice and sympathetic Alfie was, Katy didn't think Ronnie would appreciate him knowing about that.

"We're going to have to sell everything." The teenager said interrupting her sister. "Including your car, Rox." Roxy pouted then looked at Alfie hopefully.

"I'll help." He said slowly. Katy was sure that he would be getting grief from Kat later.

"Good. You two do that and I'll go and do MY thing." Katy said feistily, putting her hood up and strolling away through the market.

"Her thing?" Alfie asked.

"You don't wanna know." Her older sister said shaking her head. "Come on." Roxy and Alfie headed off in the opposite direction to the teenager who waited until she was definitely out of their sight and pulled out her mobile.

"Whit? If anyone asks, I was with you today." Katy said, looked nervously around. "No, nothing bad, I just need you to say that, yeah? Thanks. I'll catch you later."

She turned her phone off and pushed it into her pocket. Then she made her way down Bridge Street. She walked for a long time, until she didn't recognise any of the houses. She was in a quiet cul-de-sac, of big, expensive-looking houses. There was no one around. She sat watching for a while before carefully pulling on a pair of gloves and making her way round the back of one of the houses.

It was quiet and empty. She looked for a way in, spotted a small window that was ajar and prised it carefully open. Using the drainpipe, Katy wriggled into the gap, slipped inside and dropped to the floor of the bathroom. She had already looked for alarm boxes on the outside and seen none, so she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

"Stupid cat." She muttered, ignoring the black and white animal that was winding its way around her legs.

Systematically she went round the house, choosing things that looked expensive but that she'd be able to shift quickly. The teenager didn't take things that were on display or would be obviously missed and she was careful not to leave any sign that anyone had been in the house.

When she had filled her drawstring bag as well as her pockets, Katy climbed back through the window and pushed it closed. Then she went back out to the pathway behind the cul-de-sac and took off the gloves, heading to the nearest bus stop. As Katy waited for the bus she pulled out her mobile and switched it back on. She dialled a number.

"Hey, Deano." She said with a smile.

"Long time no speak, Mitchell." The boy on the other end of the call said. "We thought you'd forgotten about your old crew! How are you, loving it?"

"Yeah, I'm good… living it up in London." She laughed. "Listen, is your brother still in London? More importantly is he still in the same… line of business?"

"Yeah… Nath's down there. Why, you got something for him?"

"Maybe…" She said in a low voice, unwilling to elaborate. "Listen, I need cash and fast. You reckon you could get him to give me a good deal?"

"You gonna make it worth my while?" He asked cheekily.

"Next time I see you." Katy lied, shaking her head even though he couldn't see her.

"I'll give him a ring and let you know the score in a bit."

"Ta." Katy said.

"Later, Mitchell."

Katy hung up and waited for a bus that would take her into London. She was sitting on the bus, almost in the city, when a text came through on her phone. '_Covent Garden at 4._' She gritted her teeth and sat more nervously. He was meeting her in a public place, but they would have to go somewhere a lot quieter to do the deal. Dean and Nathan Parry were not people you messed with. But then again, nor was Katy Mitchell.

The teenager waited just outside Covent Garden for Nathan to arrive. She tried to make herself look far more confident than she actually was. Suddenly she felt a hand on her bum and turned round angrily. She was greeted by a grinning face that she vaguely recognised and couldn't help herself smiling.

"Alright, Mitchell?" Nathan said. "How's it going?"

"Good, how are you?"

"Alive."

Katy nodded, not really sure what to say to that blunt answer. The man laughed. She watched him from underneath her fringe as he led her through the streets until they reached a dingy house. Katy didn't know Nathan very well, but she knew his reputation and his brother. He opened the door and swept his hand in a fancy movement to signal she should go inside.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." Nathan said with a grin. "You know that, Mitchell." Katy sighed and looked unsure as to whether she should go in or not. "What, don't you trust me Katy?"

"Not really." She said bluntly.

"I'm hurt. We grew up together." He said. They hadn't grown up together; Nathan was seven years older than the girl and hadn't had time for kids her age when they were growing up. Katy sighed again and pushed past him into the flat. It was disgusting. She screwed up her nose looking around.

"What you got then." He asked. From her reputation he was expecting some good stuff. She passed him the bag and sat on the very edge of the broken sofa that was the only furniture in the room.

"Do you live here?" She asked curiously as he scrutinised the items she had brought.

"Course not. This shit hole?" He laughed, "Nah, I got a place over Balham."

"Oh…" She looked around her again, disgusted by the surroundings.

"Listen, I can do you a grand for all of this." He said. "You certainly ain't lost your skills, only nicking the best."

"Deano said you'd do me a good deal. I know that that jewellery is worth at least two grand on its own, not to mention the other stuff." She said, narrowing her eyes. "Don't try scamming me, Nath. We grew up together, remember." She added sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine. Two grand." He said looking at her hard. "If you want the cash now that's my last offer." Katy hesitated and then nodded, sticking her hand out. Nath shook it and went over to a safe in the fireplace. Katy shook her head amused at the unoriginality.

"Why do you need the cash anyway, Mitchell?" He asked as he pulled out wads of notes.

"Family." She said simply.

"Couldn't you think of a more… interesting way of getting the cash?" He asked, looking her up and down suggestively.

"No." Katy said bluntly. She took the cash and counted it quickly.

"Hey, we saw you on telly a while back." Katy looked at him underneath her fringe, trying to work out what he meant. "On the news, about that old lady's murder."

"Oh…" Katy said. She felt terrible that she had completely forgotten about poor Mrs Wilson.

"So, what happened then?"

"No idea. I gave a statement and that, but they never called me back in and I didn't hear anything else." She shrugged and shot him a look that signalled that it was the end of the conversation. Then she shoved the notes in her drawstring bag and put that underneath her jacket.

"You look like a hunchback." Nath said grinning.

"Piss off." Katy said smirking back.

"See you around, Mitchell." He said leaning lazily on the door frame as Katy started along the road. "Take care of yourself, yeah?"

"Whatever, Parry."


	36. Chapter 36

Katy practically ran from the bus stop back to the flat, praying she would find her sister there. Roxy was indeed there and Katy handed over the money.

"What the hell have you been doing?" Roxy asked suspiciously, seeing Katy's flushed face and holding the massive wad of fifty pound notes.

"Nothing." Katy said as innocently as she could. "I just sold some stuff."

"That's what I was worried about." Roxy said. "How much is here?"

"Two grand." Katy said casually. "Have we got enough now?"

Roxy's face split into a grin. Katy loved that her sister was so easily destracted. Ronnie would have been on her case about where the money came from, but Roxy was too flaky to bother. "Yep! And we've also got a little left over for some champers for the hen night." The sisters looked at each other in horror.

"The hen night!" they shouted together. They were late to meet Ronnie at the restaurant. She was going to kill them. Katy rushed off to shower and change; she couldn't go and meet her older sister like that. Roxy changed quickly and pulled out her phone. She had seven missed calls from Ronnie.

"Hurry up!" She shouted at Katy.

"Coming!" The teenager replied, hopping out of her bedroom pulling on a stiletto shoe as she did so. "I'm ready."

They raced to the Argee Bhajee as fast as their heels would let them. Ronnie had already left so they went to buy the champagne, hoping it would go some way to making up for their lateness. The only other place they could think Ronnie would be was Glenda's, so they headed there.

"Surprise!" Roxy said, bursting into the flat, Katy just behind her. The blonde sister waved the champagne at her sister and mother, who looked like they were in the middle of a serious conversation.

"Where the hell have you been?" Ronnie demanded of her sisters standing up and glaring at them. Both of them shrank back slightly as their sister's eyes flashed threateningly. "You were supposed to meet me nearly two hours ago."

"Sorry Ron." Katy said as apologetically as she could. "We were finishing the arrangements for your wedding." She smiled innocently at her older sister. "It's going to be beautiful. Rox has worked so hard."

They saw Ronnie soften and Roxy's shot her younger sister a smile and a wink. They were both glad that Katy was able to wrap the 'ice queen' around her little finger sometimes. They were also glad for the pregnant woman's hormones.

x

The next morning all three sisters were up extra early. Katy and Roxy were jittery, and Ronnie was excited. Katy, who would usually not be seen dead in a dress, was only too happy to put on her bridesmaids dress; deep coral pink with silver jewelled banding and one shoulder strap, and even allowed Roxy to curl her hair so that they would match.

She was ready and playing with Amy on the floor when Roxy grabbed her by her arm and dragged her into her bedroom, closing the door so that Ronnie and Glenda wouldn't hear them.

"Jack's vanished." She hissed. "Billy hasn't seen him since yesterday."

"Ring Max." Katy said calmly, trying not to reach the same level of hysteria as Roxy was threatening to reach.

"Ok, Ok. I can't believe this is happening." She fumed. She had been stressing all morning and had begged Alfie to help her, which he had done by moving all of the flowers intended for his and Kat's wedding from the Vic to the Mitchell's house. But they still didn't have any cars to take the guests to the wedding. Katy didn't want to think about what Kat's reaction would be when she realised her wedding had gone missing.

"You've still got the money, yes?" Katy asked, trying to calm her sister down.

"Yes, yes!" Roxy snapped. "It's in my bag."

"Right. Let's just get Ronnie to the hotel and we'll see what happens later." Katy said calmly.

"How?" Roxy asked putting her hands on her hips and tapping her foot agitatedly.

"I'll sort it." Katy promised and ran outside and straight into Max, a plan formulating in her head the second she saw him.

"Where's Jack?" She asked.

"I dunno? I ain't seen him since yesterday." The best man said shaking his head. Katy swore.

"Where's your car? We need you to drive Ronnie to the hotel." Max nodded and went off to get it as Katy took the steps two at a time back into the flat. She and Roxy, in their matching dresses, bundled Ronnie and Amy hurriedly into the car and they set off for the hotel. The younger sisters exchanged looks every now and then, worried about what they would do if Jack didn't arrive.

As they drew up to the hotel, Katy gasped. It was beautiful; Roxy had surpassed herself. Ronnie smiled at her and squeezed both her sister's hands.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

"Hey, don't you start crying." Katy said, almost as though she was warning herself. In fact the warning would do for all three of them.

"Let's get inside." Roxy said. They made their way into the large, beautifully decorated foyer and Ronnie smiled excitedly at her sisters.

"Nervous?" Katy asked.

Ronnie considered her for a moment and then smiled and shook her head. "No."

"Miss Mitchell?" A well dressed, official looking man walked up to the bride and her sisters.

"Oh, yeah." Roxy said handing him her bag without really paying him much attention. "It's in there." She said turning back to Ronnie. He took the bag to the desk, to make the payment for her.

"Argh! It's really happening!" She said quietly to Ronnie and the three sisters smiled at each other excitedly.

"_Umm… Miss Mitchell?_" The man said, coming back with Roxy's bag. "_Is this someone's idea of a joke?_" He asked tilting the bag to reveal the fact that it was stuffed full of pink rose petals. The three sisters looked at it open-mouthed and then looked at each other.

"_Roxy?_" Ronnie asked weakly as her sister reached forwards and snatched the bag out of the manager's hands. She began flinging the confetti out onto the floor, looking for the money.

"_No cash, no ceremony._" He said, snootily. Roxy continued to throw the confetti out of her bag while her sisters looked on in horror. Katy grabbed at the bag, tipping it upside down. The money was definitely gone. She threw the bag angrily on the floor with all her force.

"_What's happening?_" Ronnie asked, looking at her sisters, totally confused. They looked back at her, both looking as though they were going to cry.

"Oh, Ron." Katy said, tears forming in her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hands.

"_I'm really sorry._" Roxy said as Ronnie stared at her. She looked around desperately, as though looking for another option. "_Wedding's off._"

Ronnie's mouth fell open in disbelief and she looked between her sisters and the manager as if she was hoping one of them would shout 'surprise' and the whole situation would be a terrible, misguided joke. But none of them did. Muttering under her breath, the younger blonde stomped towards the room where Jack was waiting for Ronnie to walk up the aisle.

"_Right, come on then, who was it?"_ Roxy demanded, bursting in. Just behind her Katy glared furiously around. _"I said who was it?"_

"_What are you talking about, Roxanne?"_ Glenda asked. Everyone else was looking at each other curiously.

"_The 20K that has been nicked from right under my nose!"_ She screamed, stamping her foot like a child. _"THAT'S what I'm talking about."_

"Rox." Katy said gently. She didn't think screaming like this in front of everyone was going to get their money back. The congregation were staring at the sisters as though they'd gone mad. Whispers were breaking out amongst them as they digested the information that Roxy was shrieking.

"_What?_" Jack asked, menacingly. He looked furious.

"Come on, Rox." Katy said, pulling her sister's arm. They went outside and Roxy took some deep breaths.

"What are we going to do, Katy?" She asked, her lip trembling.

The teenager thought for a split second. She glanced towards the reception desk and her eyes fell on the manager. Inspiration hit her in a split second. "Send your mum out here." Roxy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but did as her younger sister demanded.

"What are you up to?" Glenda demanded, suspiciously as Roxy brought her out into the foyer. She didn't like the teenager very much and trusted her even less. The feeling was mutual.

"We have everything right here, yes?" Katy said. "Except that he," she pointed to the manager, "won't let the ceremony go ahead until he gets paid."

"Yes, we know that." Glenda said impatiently. Her daughters shushed her, listening to their younger sister.

"So we distract him until Ronnie and Jack say 'I do'." The brunette said with a sly grin.

"What does that have to do with me?" Glenda asked, not seeing where she fitted into the operation.

"Look at him." Katy said, glancing over her shoulder. "I think you're FAR more his type than I am. If you get my drift. I'd do it, but I don't think I'm classy enough. I couldn't pretend to be classy enough, anyway." She said slyly.

"Oh, Katherine." Glenda said, annoyed at the thinly veiled insult. "No, I won't. Besides, that would mean I'd miss Veronica getting married."

"Please, Mum." Ronnie said pleadingly. She could see that Katy was right; it was the only way she would be getting married. "Do it for me."

Glenda sighed and looked between her daughters. She kissed them each on the cheek and nodded. She gave Katy a narrow eyed glare and stalked past, engaging the manager in conversation. As the sisters hurried into the room, they heard Glenda give a high-pitched, flirtatious giggle.


	37. Chapter 37

Katy tried to keep Roxy calm until they got back to the Vic, but her sister still managed to accuse Billy, Julie, Shirley and even Glenda of stealing the money before they even left the hotel. Kat and Alfie, who had been told about everything Ronnie went through with Archie, had agreed to have a joint reception.

"Ronnie's not going to be happy with you for telling them about dad." Katy whispered to Roxy as the stood at the bar.

"Shut up. She won't find out." Roxy said hopefully, not looking at all convinced by her own words.

"Whatever! She's Veronica Mitchell, of course she'll find out." Katy said grinning. Roxy shook her head and passed her sister a vodka and coke.

"Don't tell her." She said with a grin. Katy smiled back at her sister and downed it in one. "Oi!" Roxy said looking slightly impressed. "Steady!"

Ronnie came up behind her sisters and hugged them both tightly, planting a kiss on both of their foreheads.

"Thank you." She said quietly. "Thank you so much."

"Hey, what are sisters for?" Roxy said with a grin. Katy nodded in agreement.

"And I'm sorry that we were prettier than the bride." Katy joked, pretending to be apologetic. Ronnie punched her lightly on the arm and laughed. "Nah, seriously Ron, you look amazing."

Ronnie smiled weakly, looking as though she was about to cry, so her sisters dragged her over to the dance floor for one more dance before she left on her honeymoon. A song with a fast tempo was playing and all three danced wildly for a few moments before it ended. Ronnie and Roxy attempted to teach their younger sister some typical 80's dance moves, but she was too busy with her own, more modern style. When the song ended, it was replaced by a much slower one and the sisters came together, moving more slowly.

"I wish Auntie Peg was here." Ronnie said quietly as they hugged each other and swayed to the music.

"Me too." Roxy said sadly. Katy nodded in agreement again. All three of them missed their aunt terribly, but possible Katy missed her the most because she'd had so little time to get to know her. "But she'd say you looked beautiful as well."

"Come on, Mrs Branning." Jack said taking Ronnie's hand with a wide smile. "Sorry ladies, I'm going to steal your sister away for our honeymoon." He said beaming. He gave Roxy and Katy each a kiss on the cheek and led Ronnie out to a waiting taxi. The crowd streamed out to wave goodbye, the new Mrs Branning's sisters at the front waving crazily. Her sisters were at the front of the crowd, one arm around the other and waving as the cab drove away, broad grins on both their faces. At that moment Roxy and Katy looked almost identical.

x

"Are you not bothered that someone nicked twenty grand out of my bag?" Roxy shouted at her sister three days after the wedding. Katy was still in her pyjamas, sitting on the sofa eating cereal and watching cartoons with her niece.

"Of course I'm bothered." She replied, calmly. "You have no idea what I had to do to get that money."

"What DID you do?" Roxy asked intrigued, but her sister just shook her head. Roxy was so easily distracted that the slightest comment could turn her attention completely. "So why aren't you coming up with any theories or bright ideas?" She demanded.

"Because I'm eating my breakfast."

"Argh!" Roxy stormed off to the bathroom and Katy pulled a funny face at Amy, who laughed at her.

"Why are you in such a mood anyway?" Katy shouted after her sister. She was the type of person that would let things happen in their own time. She was sure that she would think of something at some point, but until she did she wasn't planning on stressing over it. Besides, she could always find a way of raising some cash if they needed it.

"I got a massive bill from the tax man." Roxy snapped, appearing out of the bathroom and leaning over the back of the sofa so that she was looking straight into her sister's face, which was upside down to her. "And that Julie, Billy's new bird, was wearing a coat that I know for a fact would have cost far more than she could ever afford."

"Don't go doing anything stupid, Rox." Katy pleaded with her. "Don't go accusing her until you have some proof." Roxy muttered something, looking away from her sister. Katy groaned. "You didn't? Not again, Rox!"

"Well she was asking for it! She proved she was a thief when she nicked Stacey's shoes!"

"Yeah, well, nicking a pair of shoes and nicking twenty grand is completely different, ain't it?" Katy said, thinking about her own habits.

"No." Roxy snapped. "Not when it's MY twenty grand."

"So, after all your panicking, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to sell Number 27." Roxy said, chewing her lip. Katy pulled a face.

"Oooh. Good luck telling Phil and Shirley they've got to move out!" She said, glad it wasn't her that had to break the news.

After telling Phil and Shirley the bad news, Roxy expected them to be angry, but they weren't at all; which was very odd in itself. The next day Phil announced that he was renting Number 55 Victoria Road. The Mitchell sisters were slightly shocked. After everything that Phil had been through recently they had assumed that he was struggling with money. Katy was suspicious about the drastic turnaround in her cousin's fortunes, but the words Peggy had told her over and over rang clearly in her head; _'Family's family. They watch out for each other; whatever happens'_ and she reluctantly dismissed her suspicions.

Nothing else interesting seemed to be happening on the Square. Roxy was still determined to work out who had stolen their money, but she wasn't getting any further with her detective work. Katy had been to school almost every day and done a few shifts in the café for Ian, glad to get out of the cold on the stall.

One evening when she was walking back after her shift she noticed a car outside Glenda and Carol's flat. Curiously she stood in the shadows of the hedge around the garden in the middle of the Square and watched as Glenda got out of the car. She bent over and said something in the driver, wiggling her fingers and walking away. Katy was startled to see Phil in the driver's seat as the car passed her. She screwed up her face in confusion, trying to work out what that could mean. Several possibilities entered her head but she ignored them.

"Oi, Katy." Jay shouted at her, making the girl jump and whirl around guiltily. Glenda, who hadn't yet gone inside her flat turned as well and caught sight of the teenagers. She hurriedly disappeared inside.

"What's up, babe?" Katy asked as the sixteen-year-old caught up with her. She shivered and put up the hood of her jacket against the cold.

"Listen, I was thinking about getting my name changed, right." He said slowly, looking at her for a reaction.

"To what?" She asked confused. "Horace? I reckon that would suit you."

"Get lost!" Jay said laughing. "Nah, I wanna be a Mitchell."

"Who doesn't." The older teenager joked. "Have you told anyone else?"

"Nah, I wanted to see what you thought first." He said.

"Aww, sweet." She teased him, trying to squeeze his cheek. He dodged and laughed. "I think it's a good idea. I mean, you're practically a Mitchell already, so it's just a formality, right?"

"Cool… I'll just have to pick my moment then." He said with a grin. They were at the steps of Ronnie and Jack's flat now and Jay was leaning against the pillar as Katy pulled out her key. "See you later." He said.

Katy watched him strut off across the square towards Number 55. She laughed quietly and shook her head slightly, before letting herself in and making her way to the flat.


	38. Chapter 38

A few days later, just before her eighteenth birthday, Katy was working in the café when Glenda came in. The two Mitchells hadn't seen each other since the car incident the other evening and Glenda shot the teenager a suspicious look as she ordered her drink. Katy smiled innocently at her, something that evidently made the older woman even more suspicious.

"What are you smirking at?" Glenda hissed, leaning forwards so that her words were only audible to the teenager.

"I'm not sure, but it's funny looking." Katy said rudely. Glenda narrowed her eyes.

"I'm warning you, Katherine…" She stopped abruptly as Ian appeared beside Katy. The teenager raised her eyebrows, smirking.

"Problem?" He asked. Glenda smiled and shook her head.

"No, we were just having a little chat, weren't we darling?" She said falsely. Katy smiled, just as insincerely.

"We sure were." She agreed through gritted teeth.

"Good." Ian said, and walked away. Glenda shot Katy a dirty look. Katy simply rolled her eyes and smirked at the older woman.

"_Oi, Glenda._" Carol called as she made her way out of the café. "_You paid the rent yet?_"

"_Oh, oh no, it slipped my mind. I'll sort it tomorrow._" Glenda said with a broad smile. Carol didn't look convinced.

"_Right, well if he comes round later you can deal with it. I'm going round Bianca's._"

Katy saw Glenda roll her eyes as her flatmate left and watched her sit down opposite Ian, smiling flirtily. The teenager was sure she could guess what was coming and felt slightly ill at the thought. Surely Ian wouldn't be stupid enough to risk losing Jane because of Glenda? Then again, it was Ian.

"_Money troubles?_" Ian asked.

"_Sometimes you just want a man to take care of you._" Glenda said suggestively. Katy thought she was going to gag. She busied herself with making a cup of tea for Dot, who had just come into the café. After serving the woman, Katy couldn't keep her eyes from flicking towards the table where Glenda and Ian were sitting. Some kind of morbid curiosity refused to let her stop watching.

Luckily she was distracted as her best friend bounced into the café and leant over the counter slightly, looking at her in excitement. Katy smiled at Whitney, pleased to see her in such a good mood for once.

"So… you're eighteen in four days, right, and I'm eighteen two days after." Whitney declared, pointing out the obvious. Katy nodded, wondering where this conversation was going.

"So?"

"So? I'm thinking party!" Whitney exclaimed excitedly. "Do you think Ronnie and Jack would let us have R&R?"

"OH MY DAYS!" Katy squeaked. She hadn't even though about having a party until her friend mentioned it. "That is the best idea babe!"

"Well? R&R?"

"I can't see why not, except it would have to be on your birthday, or after, because you know what they're like about their licence." Katy said rolling her eyes.

"Alright, I'll catch you later, anyway. I gotta get back to the stall." Whitney said, rushing out of the café. Katy shook her head in amusement and her eye fell on Ian and Glenda who were laughing at the table to her right. Katy remembered Glenda had ordered a coffee and as the teenager plonked the woman's cup on the table, she jumped slightly as the hot liquid splashed over her.

"Watch what you're doing!" Ian shouted, dabbing at Glenda's blouse with a napkin, a strange look in his eyes. Glenda giggled and playfully batted his hands away. Katy rolled her eyes and went back behind the counter feeling sick again.

Later that evening Katy was on her way back from Whitney's she spotted Ian standing at Glenda's door. Her sisters' mother was in the doorway in her pink silk dressing gown. She glanced around carefully and then let the man in, closing the door.

"Oh my days." Katy muttered, wondering what to do. Apparently Ian was stupid enough to risk losing his wife.

She jumped as her phone started ringing. "Whit? You'll never guess what I've just seen."

"Eh?" Whitney said, "Listen, Peter wants me to have a joint party with him. But we're still on for our party, yeah?"

"Well yeah, I haven't asked Ron or Rox yet, but I don't reckon there'll be a problem."

"Good, 'cos I don't fancy spending my birthday round the Beales'." Whitney said, sounding relieved. "Speak to you later."

"Yeah, bye." Katy heard Whitney hang up and put her mobile away. Then she went back to the flat to ask about the party. Ronnie and Jack were still on their honeymoon, so she asked Roxy instead. As she had guessed, her sister didn't see any problem with it and a few days later the girls were all set to celebrate their eighteenth birthdays in style.

Roxy had gone all out to make sure that her baby sister had the best birthday ever. She had hired a new DJ who was apparently and up and coming star. Bianca had spent the day with her decorating the club, while Whitney was working on her stall and Katy was in school. It was a Wednesday night, so Roxy wasn't worried about shutting the club to uninvited guests.

"Where should I put this?" Katy asked her sister, carrying a crate of bottles for the optics over to the bar.

"Leave that!" Her older sister said pushing her away from the bar. "Don't you have homework or something to do?"

"No." The teenager said bluntly with a grin.

"Well… go and find something to do!" Roxy whined, trying to swat her sister away and out of the club. "I don't want you under my feet while I'm organising!"

"You, organising?" Katy said with a wide-eyed expression, teasing her sister. Roxy walked towards her, mock threateningly and Katy raised her hands in surrender. "OK, OK!"

Katy left the club, leaving Roxy to her 'organising'. She had planned to get ready at Whitney's with her and Lauren at six and it was only half past five. While she was waiting, she pulled out her mobile and scrolled through her contacts wondering who to send a message to. She hesitated at Nathan, wondering whether to drop him a line. After a couple of minutes staring at his name, she dismissed the idea.

Bored, she decided to go to Whitney's early, collecting her things on the way. Lauren obviously had the same idea because the teenagers bumped into each other on the way.

"Whit's upstairs." Ricky said as the girls stood on the doorstep. He moved aside as they went past him and almost ran up to Whitney's bedroom. The next hour or so was full of giggling, shouting and screaming as they got ready for the party.

Finally, they were ready. Katy, who hated wearing dresses, wore wet-look leggings, a denim mini skirt, a white muscle-back vest and bright red ten inch stilettoes. Whitney and Lauren were both wearing dresses and heels; Whitney's dress was short and bright red and Lauren's was low-cut and pale blue. Luckily Lauren was staying at Katy's after the party, otherwise Max would have gone crazy about his older daughter's outfit.

The girls walked into the party fashionably late. Roxy and Bianca didn't even notice; they were too busy enjoying themselves. Whitney and Katy didn't mind though. There were so many of their friends there, from school and everywhere else, that they had a brilliant time and the birthday girls ended up getting horrendously drunk.


	39. Chapter 39

The next morning rolled around far too soon for the teenagers. Katy's alarm went off at half past seven and all three of them jerked awake, groaning loudly. Although Roxy had insisted on using a wristband system to try and make sure no underage guests got served alcohol, she had been too distracted enjoying herself to make sure the rule was implemented. Katy had easily been able to wind the barmen around her little finger and consequently, Lauren had got just as drunk as the older girls.

"Get up!" Roxy shouted from the living room, banging on Katy's bedroom door. "You promised you'd go to school if I let you have this party."

"OK!" Katy shouted back, making her head thump.

"Shhh…" Whitney said, covering her face with a pillow to stop the light affecting her eyes.

An hour and a half later Lauren and Katy strolled through the school gates, late for registration. Their tutor, Mr Kinnock, would probably throw a fit, but neither of them cared. They walked into the classroom just before the bell went for first lesson and they would have been marked as late. The balding man looked furious that they had just made it and he had to mark them in as on time.

"See you at break, yeah?" Katy asked her friend as they left the room. Lauren nodded, her eyes hidden behind her dark glasses. Katy had Politics then a free lesson and Lauren had double Art. The Mitchell teenager made her way slowly to the humanities block and into the classroom. She dropped into her seat next to Peter, who gave her a warm smile.

"Alright, Bealey-Boy?" She asked as their teacher came into the classroom and promptly knocked a pile of exercise books onto the floor. None of his students batted an eyelid, used to such occurrences. "Enjoy yourself last night?"

"Yeah, it was great." Peter said enthusiastically. "Wish I'd spent more time with Whit, though." Katy looked at him awkwardly. Whitney had been avoiding Peter as much as she could. Every time he got close to her, she'd pull Katy and Lauren over so that the two girls were between them.

"It was a crazy night, wasn't it?" She said, ignoring his words about Whitney. The whole class jumped as Mr Cole knocked over the flip chart. Katy smirked. The man was completely accident prone and totally hilarious, although he was quite a bad teacher.

"Right, today class we're moving on to looking at the powers of the House of Lords." He said, moving in front of the board. "Does anyone know what they might be?"

Katy let the discussion, mainly from Mr Cole, flow over her as she sat and stared blankly at the teacher, willing the bell to ring and signalling the end of the lesson. Beside her, Peter was anxiously scribbling notes, but Katy really couldn't be bothered.

Finally the bell rang and Katy stuffed her things back into her bag. She was almost at the door, when Mr Cole called them back to their seats.

"Before you leave I'll give you back your essays on 'Voting Behaviour' and set you the next one. The title is: 'In the UK Parliamentary system, how large a role do the media play in a General Election?' Everyone got that?" He said over the groaning of his class. Katy scribbled the title into her diary and waited impatiently until her essay was dropped onto the desk in front of her.

"Well done, Katy." He said in his thick Scottish accent. "Top mark."

Katy looked down at the large 'A' written in red pen at the top of the page. Hastily she pushed the papers into her bag out of sight, hoping no one else had seen her mark or heard the teacher's words. Peter obviously had because he was looking at his own 'C' rather annoyed. It wasn't that she didn't want to do well; getting good marks just didn't fit with her image.

"I don't know why you get embarrassed about being clever." He said, jogging to catch up with her as she strode back towards the common room for her free lesson. She was planning on trying to get some sleep.

"Because clever isn't cool, Pete. Where I come from it pays to be stupid; or at least pretend you are." Katy said with a shrug. "I'm only here because Ronnie wants me to do my exams."

"What about University?" He asked, refusing to drop the subject. "I bet you'd get in, no problem. I bet you could even go to Oxford or Cambridge."

"Why would I want to do that?" Katy snapped, looking at the boy as if he were mad. "What can I learn about real life at a snobby university that I can't learn on an East end market or in R&R?"

"You could… I dunno… better yourself? Get a good job and earn decent money."

"Look, I don't want to 'better myself'. I'm happy as I am, OK?" Katy snapped; her friend's nagging was adding to the headache pounding in her skull. "Don't you have a lesson to get to?"

"Yeah, maths." Peter said shifting his rucksack into a more comfortable position on his shoulder.

"Well go then! Leave me and my hangover alone."

x

After break, Katy had double English Lit with Lauren. They were supposed to be reading 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Shakespeare, but neither of them had brought their copies of the play, which made things difficult. They'd managed to 'borrow' one out of the stock cupboard, but instead of doing the set work, they were just looking for words or phrases in the text that could be twisted to sound dirty.

"Katherine Mitchell." Miss Alton shouted from the front of the classroom. "If I hear one more word out of you, you're going outside. The same goes for you, Lauren Branning. I don't know what's got into the pair of you today."

"About three bottles of vodka last night." A boy called Jack shouted from the back of the classroom, making everyone burst out laughing. Katy turned and winked at him, grinning. The teacher banged her copy of the play on the table and glared around.

"Enough!" She shouted, sending a shooting pain through Katy's head. "Page 46, Lindsay, you read please, from Bottom's line."

Katy and Lauren snorted with uncontrollable laughter. They couldn't help themselves and they couldn't stop laughing either, even when Miss Alton sent them both out into the corridor. They were still giggling on the way to Mr Alcock's office after being shouted at by their teacher.

"I'm going to have to talk to your parents, girls." The headmaster said seriously as the pair of them sat in front of his desk, trying to look sorry.

"That'll be difficult, sir." Katy said, trying to keep a straight face. "I dunno if you'll get much response from mine." Lauren burst out laughing again.

"Enough!" Mr Alcock said, annoyed that they weren't taking the situation seriously. "I obviously meant your sister, Katy."

"She's on honeymoon, sir."

"What about your other sister," he shuffled the papers in Katy's file noisily, "Ms Roxanne Mitchell?"

"Her brain's made of fluff." Katy said with a shrug. "But you can try and talk to her."

The headmaster sighed and told them to wait outside. Katy put her feet up on the coffee table, slouching down in her chair. The snobby receptionist narrowed her eyes. She looked as though she might have some kind of nervous breakdown when Lauren copied her friend, putting her feet on the table too.

"Are you gonna be OK? With Alcock calling your parents and everything?" Katy asked, looking sideways at the younger girl. Max and Tanya were far stricter than Roxy and Lauren would definitely be punished worse than Katy would.

"Yeah, I'll blame it on their break-up and the stress and hormones and stuff." Lauren said casually with a shrug. She grinned at her friend. "I've had lots of practice."

"Nice one." Katy said with a grin. She put her head back on the chair and closed her eyes. "Nap time, I think, before they get here and it all kicks off."


	40. Chapter 40

"Why?" Roxy asked, annoyed, as she drove Katy home half an hour later. Katy just shrugged. "There must be a reason? I arranged that party for you last night and then you go and get yourself suspended."

"Only for half a day," Katy said rolling her eyes, "it's no big deal. I'm back in tomorrow morning."

"So? It's still in your education file."

"Who cares?" Katy snorted. "No one's going to see that file after next year, are they?"

"What if you decide you want to go to uni?" Roxy asked, looking at Katy as they stopped at the traffic lights. She raised an eyebrow questioningly. "They'll see it then, won't they?"

"A, I'm not going to uni; I'm only at school because Ronnie wanted me to go. And b, do you think a half day suspension is really the worst thing on my file?" Katy asked in disbelief, shaking her head.

"Well, whatever. You'll have to come into the salon with me this afternoon because I'm working." Roxy's tone changed as she thought about her suggestion. "Actually, it works out quite well because Kim's taken another sickie, so you can cover for her." Katy opened her mouth to speak but Roxy pre-empted her question and smirked. "I'm not paying you and you'll be sweeping and tidying and making drinks, got it."

Katy slouched in the seat and folded her arms, sulkily. She knew it was fair, seeing as this was probably the only punishment Roxy would give her, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

x

"You on house arrest?" Katy asked Lauren on the phone that evening. Her sister hadn't even thought about taking her phone away. Roxy couldn't survive without her mobile, so she wouldn't have considered enforcing such a punishment on her little sister.

"Yeah," Lauren said with a sigh, "lucky they didn't notice me stealing my mobile back."

"Definitely. Roxy didn't even try to take mine." Katy said. "What else did they say?"

"Oh you know the usual. Stuff about you being a bad influence and –" Lauren suddenly stopped speaking and there was a rustling sound. Katy guessed that her friend had had to hide her phone from someone. She grinned and waited patiently until she heard Lauren speaking again. "I gotta go, K. See you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you."

Katy hung up and threw her phone onto the bed beside her. She started flicking through a magazine that she had borrowed from the salon, getting distracted by an article about a new kind of boot.

With a groan, she realised that Glenda must have come into the flat because she could clearly hear her voice. Quietly, she crept to her closed bedroom door and pressed her ear against it, listening to the conversation.

"So she got suspended?"

"Only for this afternoon, though. It's not really a big deal. She's going back in the morning." Roxy said, defending her younger sister. Katy could imagine the smirk on Glenda's face. "Anyway, she helped out in the salon for free. I don't see the point in punishing her anymore."

"She needs to be taught a lesson." Glenda said, almost cheerfully. Katy glared at the door.

"No, she doesn't." Roxy said with a sigh. "Besides, you weren't around when I was a teenager and I was far worse than Katy. I turned out OK, so she'll be fine."

"Hmmm…" Glenda didn't sound convinced and Katy grinned. She opened the door and walked into the living room.

"Oh, hi Glenda." She said, pretending to be surprised to see her sisters' mother there. "You alright?"

"Yes, thank you, Katherine." The older woman said suspiciously. Katy smiled at her, making the woman even more wary. Katy sat on the sofa and pulled Amy onto her lap, switching the television onto the kids' channel.

"Katy… what's this?" Roxy asked, pulling her politics essay out of her bag and looking at it. Katy glanced at it and shrugged.

"An essay. Got it back today." The teenager had already turned her attention back to the television.

"Did you write it?" Roxy asked in astonishment.

"No, Amy did." Katy said, rolling her eyes. "Course I wrote it."

Roxy was impressed; she handed the papers to her mother and kissed her younger sister on the top of her head. "You got an A! I'm so proud of you. Let's celebrate!"

Katy laughed. "It's not my first A and it's not a big deal. Anyway, I thought I was being punished."

"You were, until I knew you got an A." Roxy said with a cheesy grin. "Get your coats, girls. We're going for pizza!"

She bounced off to get her jacket and Katy pulled an excited face at her little niece who giggled and tottered off after her mother. The teenager grinned and stood up, finding herself looking straight at Glenda's suspicious face.

"Did you really write that essay?" She demanded.

"Course I did… just because you don't know the difference between the voting behaviours doesn't mean we're all stupid." Katy said cheekily, pushing past the older woman. Glenda grabbed her arm, tightly as she passed, digging her fingertips into the teenager's arm.

"You need to watch yourself, Katherine." She said in a low, threatening voice. "Something will happen to you one day and I'll be glad. Sooner or later I'll get my girls back to myself and you'll be out of here."

"Ooh! You're terrifying, Glenda." Katy said smirking. "No, really, some people are scared of spiders; I'm scared of old, jealous, deluded cows."

Glenda opened her mouth to reply, her eyes flashing furiously, but Roxy entered the room at that moment, smiling broadly and raring to go.


	41. Chapter 41

Peter still went ahead with his birthday party two days after the girls had theirs. It was a slightly different kind of party, as everyone had gathered at the Beale's for a mainly family event, but Peter had insisted that some of his friends were invited. As predicted, Ian had insulted Whitney. The teenager didn't particularly care though, because she had already admitted to Katy and Lauren that she didn't want to be with Peter anymore. The three girls left the party and started their own party at the allotments with Jay and Fat Boy.

"You'd better be glad Ronnie's not back from honeymoon yet." Roxy said when Katy eventually rolled in later that night. She was wearing her pyjamas and a zip-up hoody and was just settling Amy back in her cot. "You've been terrible this week. I don't think turning eighteen agrees with you. But Phil and Shirley are having a party tomorrow to celebrate Jay changing his name. You better be alright for that or you'll be in trouble."

Katy just nodded, not trusting herself to say anything sensible and went to bed. She wasn't in the mood to argue with her sister; she was too happy.

Next morning Roxy dragged her younger sister out of bed just before they were due at Number 55 for the party. Katy moaned all the way to her cousins' house, first that Roxy had only given her half an hour to shower, dry and straighten her hair, get dressed and do her makeup and secondly that it was going to be dull. The older sister had just rolled her eyes and ignored Katy.

There was the traditional arrival as Roxy entered the house, loudly, loving being the centre of attention at any opportunity. She parked Amy's pram and lifted her daughter out. Then she barged into the living room, placing her daughter gently on the floor and going to get a drink from Shirley. Katy made her way straight over to Jay, still complaining. The boy laughed at her and flicked her hair into her face, making her glare at him and punch him in the arm. Then they retreated to the sofa and moaned about all the 'old' people and how boring they were.

Ben's arrival, on the other hand, livened things up significantly. He appeared in the doorway with Ian and Jane just as Phil was raising a toast to Jay as the newest Mitchell.

"_You are now, officially, a part of the Mitchell family. So if you'd like to raise your glasses to Jay Mitchell._" Phil said, raising his cup. Everyone followed his example, muttering Jay's name as they took a drink.

"_Oh, isn't this cosy."_ Ian said, sarcastically as he and his wife and brother entered the room. Jane looked uncomfortable at the way she found herself in the middle of the party, but Ben looked downright irritated that someone else was getting attention. Katy had never set eyes on her cousin before and thought she was perfectly justified in her giggles at the situation. No one else seemed to agree.

"Shut up." Roxy hissed at her sister, slapping her on the arm. Shirley shot her a warning look. Katy tried to control herself, but everyone's faces were a picture. She caught Jay's eye and both had to look away before they started laughing. "I'm warning you, Katy." Roxy said, seeing the teenager's face.

The awkwardness of the situation led to the abrupt ending of the party and Katy decided to go and see Whitney on the stall, steering clear of her family for the moment. Roxy wasn't in a good mood with her and Katy was starting to think that perhaps she'd pushed even her more easy-going sister slightly too far.

Crossing the square, Katy headed in the direction of Whitney's t-shirt stall and stopped suddenly, because she saw her best friend talking to Connor, Billie's friend from the estate. She narrowed her eyes and darted behind one of the other stalls so she could watch without being seen herself.

"_You got some mouth on you girl, I like that._" Connor said flirtily to Whitney. Behind the stall Katy pulled a face. She caught sight of Carol watching from the Minute Mart and, from the expression on the older woman's face, Katy realised that she must have warned the boy off her step-granddaughter. Katy waited until Connor had walked away and then went to speak to her friend.

"You should stay away from him." She said seriously. "I know bad boys and he is definitely one."

"Whatever." Whitney said dismissively with a shrug.

"Seriously, Whit, it's a very bad idea." Katy said. "And besides, you're still with Peter."

"For now…" Whitney said, meaningfully with a grin. Katy groaned.

She knew her friend wasn't in the kind of mood to listen to any advice so the older girl left her and went back to her sister's flat. She had homework to do, essays that she had put off until the last minute. With nothing better to do, Katy reluctantly made a start on her school work.

"'In the UK Parliamentary system, how large a role do the media play in a General Election?'" Katy read the question of the Politics essay she'd been set aloud. She sighed and face-planted the keyboard of Ronnie's laptop, which she'd been borrowing while her sister was away on her honeymoon.

"That bad, eh?" Roxy said with a grin, putting a mug of tea on the kitchen table beside her sister and sliding into a chair opposite. Apparently she'd forgotten that she was supposed to be annoyed with the eighteen-year-old after her behaviour recently. Katy nodded, sipping her tea. "I bet you can do it fine, a clever kid like you. I'm expecting another A."

"Fancy doing it for me?" Katy asked, half joking, half pleading.

"No chance, babe." Roxy said with a grin. "You'd better get it done before Ronnie gets home, though, or she'll be on both our cases."


	42. Chapter 42

_**Thanks for the comments Louiejanes and **__**AlexGinny1**__**, much appreciated :D**_

Katy and Jay were sitting on the bench outside the chippy, a portion of chips between them. Apparently Ben had taken an instant dislike to the older boy and Jay wanted Katy's advice.

"How am I supposed to know what you should do?" Katy asked with a shrug. "You know the kid better than me; I've never even met him before. Besides, before April I'd never HAD a family, just my mam."

"Yeah, but you managed to work out how to deal with your sisters. I mean, that's commitment to family." Jay said grinning cheekily. Katy threw a chip at him.

"Oi! They're not that bad!" She replied, pretending to be annoyed. She crossed her arms over her chest and swivelled on the bench slightly so that her back was to the boy. He put his hands on her waist and turned her back to face him, looking at her with puppy dog eyes. She grinned and shook her head.

"I know." Jay agreed, pretending to be apologetic. He grinned at her cheekily, adding, "And they're both well fit." That comment earned him a pelting of chips from the packet and the teenagers were soon both laughing like crazy, throwing their food at each other.

"Ronnie and Jack are back today." Katy said as they calmed down a bit. She checked the time on her phone to make sure that she hadn't missed her sister's arrival. She had been specifically warned that she had to be there to greet the happy couple when they got back to the square. She had about ten minutes before their estimated arrival time. "Just in time for Shirl's 'Welcome home, darling Benny' party."

"You coming then?" Jay asked. "It'll be dead boring otherwise, especially if Ben's got it in for me."

"Course. Rox says that all Mitchell gatherings end like your party." Katy said with a grin. "I've missed out! Although with Ron back I'll have to be on best behaviour, you know what she's like. Especially with what she'll probably hear about my behaviour!" Her phone vibrated and Katy quickly read the text from Roxy; '_They're back! Come home! xxx_' "Bugger, I've got to go." She told Jay hurriedly, pushing the few chips that were left in the paper towards him. "Catch you later, yeah?"

x

"_So Phil gets himself this massive house, flat screen TV, a snooker table in the corner and nobody asks how?_" Ronnie asked her sisters.

"_I know, I thought the same, but listen Phil's all about family ain't he? He wouldn't do it._" Roxy said confidently.

"Wouldn't he?" Katy asked, raising her eyebrows. She'd known something funny was going on for a while and Ronnie's question had just confirmed her suspicions. The middle sister exhaled exasperatedly and walked away, leaving the other two looking at each other doubtfully.

"Don't say anything here." Ronnie said warningly. "Let's not ruin Ben's party."

"Wouldn't take much ruining." Katy said under her breath. "It's just people standing around making small talk. Roxy told me that all Mitchell gatherings tended to descend into chaos."

"One, stop being cheeky; not all of them end up like that… just most of them." Ronnie said, trying to hide her smile. "And two, if we're so boring go and talk to Jay and Peter, maybe you should make the effort to get to know Ben."

"Why? Do you want to get rid of me or something?" Katy asked her sister jokily, pretending to be hurt. "You've just got back from honeymoon! I've missed you and was kinda hoping you'd missed me and would want to spend a little time with me."

"Of course I missed you, babe!" Ronnie said, pulling her younger sister into a tight, one armed-hug. Her other hand was clutched around a paper plate that was piled high with food; apparently the baby was demanding a lot of food. Roxy had warned her older sister that at her age she would need to work hard to get the weight off. Ronnie had just punched her in the arm.

"Good… want any more food?" The teenager asked with a mischievous grin.

"Shut up and go away!" Ronnie said laughing and pushing her sister in the direction of the other teenagers who had congregated in a corner. Well, except Peter who seemed to have vanished. Katy didn't get that far, however as Glenda wobbled her way past her, banging into the teenager hard and making her almost fall over. Ronnie put out a hand to steady her, pulling Katy back to her side. The blonde put her arm tightly around her sister, who held onto the pregnant woman closely.

"_Phil, you really do have it all, don't you?_" Glenda said drunkenly, standing right in the middle of the party. She was swaying slightly as she spoke, jabbing her finger at her nephew. Katy and Ronnie looked at each other, eyebrows raised. It looked as though Katy was about to get her wish of another Mitchell gathering meltdown. "_Family, business, but best of all gorgeous, glamorous girlfriends._"

"You were worried about US ruining Ben's party?" Katy hissed at her sister, raising her eyebrows. Ronnie shook her head and gave her a 'not now' look, making Katy clamp her mouth shut. The teenager knew that Ronnie got deeply embarrassed by her mother's actions and in her condition the pregnant woman didn't need any added stress.

"_Why don't you shut your mouth?_" Shirley said threateningly. Glenda turned her attention to Ian, who had just come into the room with a plate of food for Jane.

"_Ah, same as you, Ian._" She said pointing at him. He looked bemusedly at her, not knowing what was going on. Everyone was staring at Glenda with worried looks, wondering what she was going to say next. "_Well, two out of three isn't bad._" She said looking at Jane pointedly.

Katy's mouth fell open at the words. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Evidently neither could anyone else. Beside her Ronnie clutched her younger sister's arm.

"Get her out." She hissed in a threatening voice at the teenager. "Get her out of here now before I kill her."

Katy went to help Roxy drag the woman out of the house. She saw Peter, who was heartbroken since Whitney had dumped him, sitting on the stairs and shot him a sympathetic look, but she had no time to speak to him.

Roxy and Katy half carried, half dragged the drunk and ranting Glenda back to the flat she shared with Carol and dumped her on the sofa. Roxy spat a few choice phrases at her mother, who looked defiantly back at her younger daughter and shot Katy a filthy look.

"You're so smug!" She shouted at Katy, pushing Roxy aside so that she could jab her finger into the teenager's face. "You think you've got my girls wrapped around your little finger, just like Peggy did. But look what happened to your precious Auntie Peggy. I told you before, something will happen to you one day and I'll be waiting."

"Oi!" Roxy shouted, pushing her mother away from Katy. "Leave her alone. Come on, babe. Let's leave her to it." Roxy and Katy made their way back to Ronnie and Jack's. Neither of them fancied going back to the party after that scene. Roxy wanted to say something to her sister, to excuse her mother's words, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Stupid drunken cow." Katy muttered after a while, glancing back at Glenda's flat.

"Oi!" Roxy snapped half-heartedly. She didn't know why she was sticking up for her mother after what she'd said, but she could tell from Katy's tone and face that the teenager wasn't the least bit bothered by Glenda's words. "That's my mum you're talking about."

"She's still a stupid drunken cow." Katy said with a shrug. Roxy bashed her round the head with her bag then wrapped her arm around her sister's shoulders and gave her a kiss on the side of her head.


	43. Chapter 43

_**Oh, and AlexGinny1 in answer to your question (If someone could play Katy in the show, who would it be?) which I completely forgot to answer, I know it's cheesy, but Katy's very similar to me. I borrowed most of the stuff that happens to her from either my life or from a couple of my best friends' lives – but obviously other events are either based on EE storylines or made up! That made it hard to answer the question, because she's such a definite person in my head. I know that sounds a little weird! :P **_

_**I also had to Google Jordy Lucas and Ashleigh Brewer as I had no idea who they were – I'm not really into Aussie soaps! Even though I have no idea how they act, so can't comment on that, Jordy Lucas looks more like the Katy I'd imagined! **_

The next day was a strange one. It appeared that, in her drunken state, Glenda had fallen down the stairs of her flat and Roxy had had to take her to hospital. The woman had arrived back in the Square with a sprained ankle, bruised ribs and was adamant that she had been pushed. She was also insisting on wearing a neck brace, which her younger daughter revealed that she had bought from a chemist on the way and didn't need.

Katy couldn't help feeling slightly smug about the accident. She thought that maybe it was karma that had made her sisters' mother fall down the stairs. She didn't voice this opinion to either Ronnie or Roxy, however, because she knew they wouldn't find it funny. Neither of them believed her story that she'd been pushed either, but Glenda was adamant, nevertheless.

Jack had announced that he had been offered a good job, in security. The only downside was that it was in Dubai. He assured his wife that he would only be gone for a week, but Ronnie wasn't impressed that Jack was planning on going away so soon and had decided to spend the day shopping for things for the baby with Stacey Branning. Katy had been invited, but she didn't fancy heading into London.

Instead she planned to spend the day watching films and looking after Amy. Katy hadn't spoken to Whitney since their conversation about Connor and she was annoyed at her friend for breaking Peter's heart. She didn't understand why Whitney would choose Connor, who was definitely trouble, over Peter who was sweet and undeniably cared about her. Whitney had tried phoning her, but Katy had been ignoring her calls. Her mobile went off for the fifth time since Ronnie had left that morning, but the teenager ignored it.

"Come on then, cariad." She said to Amy, remembering the term of endearment old Mrs Wilson had reserved for her. "Shall we go to the swings?"

She got her niece into her coat and set off towards the swings. Whitney was on her stall and looked up at her friend approached. The younger girl grinned and put her hands on her hips at the sight of the two Mitchells walking towards her, but her face quickly fell as she realised that Katy was looking resolutely anywhere but at her.

"Oi, Katy!" She shouted to her. "I've been ringing you, is something up with your phone?"

"No." Katy said shortly, looking down at Amy who was obediently holding her hand and looking around interestedly.

"So, why weren't you answering?" Whitney asked confused.

"Because I don't agree with what you did." Katy hissed. "Peter?"

"Oh that. It just wasn't working." Whitney said causally with a shrug.

"Yeah, I get that. But you dumped him for Connor, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?" Whitney declared defensively. Katy shook her head, annoyed. "Why are you so bothered?"

"Because Peter's a mate. Don't say I didn't warn you." She replied and dragged her niece away before she said something she would regret later.

x

The next day, Katy was working on the stall with Peter. The Christmas holidays had started and Ian was taking advantage of the fact that his younger staff, including his son, had more free time. Opposite them, Whitney was working on her own stall. It was incredibly awkward. Whitney was doing her best not to look at them and they were doing their best not to catch her eye either. The teenage Mitchell was being overly bright in an attempt to keep her friend's mind of his ex-girlfriend. As Connor approached, Katy encouraged her friend to go home so that he wouldn't have to upset himself over the scene, but Peter refused.

"I'm not just gonna run away whenever he's around." The teenager told her angrily. Then he relaxed slightly, putting his hand on Katy's arm and smiling weakly. "Thanks though, K."

Katy smiled back and did her best to ignore the kissing that was going on in front of her. She could tell that Peter was upset and she was furious with Whitney for being so insensitive. She narrowed her eyes at Connor as he walked past her and he shot her a cheeky wink.

"Eurgh." She muttered pulling a face and noticed Whitney watching her. Instead of saying anything, she turned her back on the girl and started rearranging the stock. She had never found fruit and vegetables so interesting before, but anything that meant she didn't have to look at Whitney was a bonus at that moment.

"You're really quiet today, Pete." Katy said gently, looking up from the pile of apples she was reordering, according to size. "Is it just Whit or is there something else bothering you?"

"I'm going to the caf for a minute." Peter said, ignoring her question and walking away. Katy nodded wordlessly and carried on moving the fruit around. She didn't notice her cousin's presence until she heard Phil's unmistakable tones over at Whitney's stall.

"Where'd you get those?" He was demanding, jabbing his finger at something that Katy couldn't see. She tried to work out what was going on, but before she could Phil had stormed off, leaving Whitney with a handful of notes. She shrugged at Katy and turned back to her stall, stuffing the money into her apron. The Mitchell girl considered what she had seen and concluded that something dodgy was going on and she was willing to put money on the fact that Connor was involved somehow.

x

On Christmas Eve, Katy and Ronnie were curled up on the sofa watching a Christmas film with Amy. Katy's older sister was in a foul mood because Jack had phoned to say he wasn't going to be able to fly home for Christmas. The teenager had tried to make her sister's day better by filling the flat with Christmas cheer. She had even tried, and failed, to make mince pies.

Ronnie had found her in the kitchen swearing loudly as she jumped up and down on the spot, staring furiously at her burnt baking attempt. The pregnant blonde had laughed, covering Amy's ears as her younger Aunt turned the air blue with her language.

Refusing to be defeated, Katy had thrown on her jacket and headed to the Minute Mart to buy some pies instead. She met Peter on her way and was astonished to see that he was carrying a rucksack.

"Hey." She said softly. "Where are you going?"

"Devon. I'm going to visit Lucy." He said. Katy couldn't tell whether he was upset or angry; possibly a little of both. Her heart sank slightly, wondering whether it was because of Whitney and Connor that he had decided to leave.

"Who am I going to copy off in Politics now?" She asked with a weak grin. Peter laughed and shook his head.

"You don't need to copy off anyone, Katy." He glanced at his watch quickly. "I have to go."

"Say hi to Luce from me." The girl said with a smile, trying to stay as normal as possible. She looked awkwardly at him for a moment before holding out her arms and hugging him. He nestled his head into her hair and held on tight.

When she pulled back slightly, he looked into her eyes for a moment before planting a gentle kiss on her lips. For a second she was too astonished to do anything, but then she responded, kissing him back. Then she pushed him away, totally confused.

"I'll tell Whit you said bye." Katy said firmly making it clear that there was nothing between them. Peter smiled, understanding.

"Thanks." He said in a low voice. "I'll miss you though, K."

"I'll miss you too, Pete."

She watched him walk in the direction of the tube station and then went into the Minute Mart with a sigh.


	44. Chapter 44

_**Thanks Brooklynn70! I hope it's not depriving you of sleep!**_

Christmas morning arrived and Ronnie, even though she was upset that Jack wasn't there, couldn't stay gloomy for long. Katy's Christmases had never really been special before and now, with a family around her, she was making the most of it.

"I can't decide who's more of a child," Ronnie laughed, watching her sister and her niece rip their way through the presents in their stockings, "you or Amy."

"Definitely me." Katy grinned and stuck her tongue out at her sister. She put all her presents neatly in a pile and folded the wrapping paper carefully. The few presents she'd received in her stocking as a child had always been arranged like this; her mother couldn't stand the mess and Katy had automatically changed her behaviour to make life easier for Karen.

Ronnie watched, bemused, as their younger sister carefully replaced all her presents into the stocking and put the neatly folded wrapping paper into a plastic bag. Amy was still unwrapping and Katy moved onto folding her discarded wrapping paper as well.

"Don't worry about that, babe." Ronnie said grinning at her. "We'll sort the paper out later."

Katy jumped slightly, realising that her sister had been watching her and blushed, seeing the expression on her face. To hide her embarrassment, she got to her feet and made her sisters mugs of coffee. She handed Ronnie hers and gave her a kiss on the cheek, before heading to Ronnie's bedroom where Roxy was still asleep. The blonde groaned as Katy set the mug of coffee down on the bedside cabinet and ruffled her hair, which was already all over the place.

"Happy Christmas, Rox." She said, kissing her sister on the cheek and backing out of the room as her sister mumbled something unintelligible.

"Merry Christmas, baby." Ronnie said pulling her sister onto the sofa beside her as Katy came back into the room. She wrapped her arms around Katy, who was lying with her head on the arm rest beside Ronnie and the bump beside her face, as they watched Amy opening the rest of the presents Santa had left her. The teenager felt like she would burst with happiness. It was a year since their father had been murdered but she hoped that no one would bring it up.

Finally Roxy made an entrance and the sisters and Amy could finally open their proper presents. It appeared that Katy's younger sister was just as much of a big kid as the teenager when it came to Christmas. She grabbed for her presents before they were even handed to her and tore off the paper, throwing it around the flat. Instinctively Katy wanted to fold the rubbish and put it away, but she noticed Ronnie's amused expression and stopped herself. She laughed as Roxy squealed happily, tearing the paper off the expensive perfume Katy had bought her and thought that maybe she was even happier than she had been earlier. Amy seemed more interested in the box her doll had come in than the toy itself and the three sisters laughed. Ronnie gave her a kiss on the forehead as she unwrapped her presents; a diamond earring and necklace set and a tiny baby grow for the bump. The older woman deliberately made a show of folding the paper and Katy stuck her tongue out laughing.

Katy herself was thrilled with the digital camera and new heeled boots from her sisters and pulled them on as they got ready for Christmas dinner at Phil and Shirley's. Glenda put in an appearance just as they were about to leave the flat and gave her daughters and granddaughter big hugs and kisses. She gave Katy a very reluctant hug as Ronnie and Roxy were watching her carefully.

"Best behaviour, Katy." Ronnie said warningly as they crossed the Square. She knew what her sister was like, especially when she was around Jay and Ben, who had now thankfully decided to get along. The three of them wound each other up and generally caused trouble. The teenager shot a look at Glenda.

"I will if she is." She said cheekily. Ronnie raised an eyebrow in warning. "OK, OK! I'll be good, I promise."

They made their way to Victoria Road, laughing and chatting. They were all loaded up with presents to distribute when they got there. They were let into the house and told that dinner was already ready and they were late. Katy was seated between Jay and Ben, while her sisters were up the other end of the table.

"Behave." Ronnie hissed as she passed her sister. The teenager rolled her eyes at the boys and returned to their conversation. The three of them were had deliberately been put at the 'children's end' of the table and told to keep an eye on Amy. Katy moved her niece onto her lap and was eating around her, while Amy seemed to prefer eating of her Aunt's plate.

"_Just tell me what Janine said last night that was so exciting!_" Roxy demanded, attracting the trio's attention to the other end of the table. They stopped their conversations abruptly, glancing at each other with raised eyebrows. The Mitchell teenagers were often the most vehement protectors of their family's reputation and tended to know exactly what was going on. The news that Janine Butcher had said something interesting last night was news to all three of them.

"_Just going on about Stacey Slater topping your old man._" Shirley said with a shrug. Ronnie and Roxy exchanged a look and Katy stared at them, willing her sisters to look at her as Shirley changed the subject. Apparently her hope that no one would mention Archie's murder today had been too much to ask for.

Dinner continued and Ronnie and Roxy were refusing to look at their younger sister. Katy felt completely segregated. She had never known Archie and so his death, while affecting her, didn't affect her as badly as it did her sisters. She wanted to talk to them, find out what they were going to do about Janine's accusation but she knew that this would be classed as 'making a scene' and she didn't think that it was the best idea to push them.

After lunch and the present opening, which couldn't go quickly enough for Katy who wanted to get her sisters alone, the entire family went to the Vic. Katy walked with Jay and Ben, trying to act as normally as possible. Roxy was hissing in her sister's ear, demanding that they found out the truth and Ronnie told her that she would deal with it.

"Deal with what?" Katy asked, sidling up to her sisters at the bar. They jumped, as though they had forgotten about her. The insecure knot in her stomach tightened slightly as they looked at her blankly for a moment.

"This Janine thing." Ronnie replied after a couple of heart stopping moments for the teenager. "You two stay here, I'll go and sort it."

"I'll come." Katy said eagerly. Ronnie shook her head.

"No. Stay here and keep Rox calm." The oldest sister ordered. She strode confidently out of the pub, leaving the other two trying to act normally.

"Do you think Stacey did it?" Katy asked Roxy quietly. Dot was singing some old song at the other end of the pub and everyone's attention was focused on her. "I can't imagine her…"

"Yeah well, there's a lot you don't know." Roxy snapped. Katy stared at her, hurt and astonished by her sister's tone and expression. "You're just a kid. You don't understand these things."

"Sorry… I just… well why would she kill him?" The teenager persevered with her questions, despite the closed look on Roxy's face. Her sister's eyes flashed furiously as Katy spoke and she rounded on her.

"Like I said, there's a lot you don't know." Roxy said angrily. "You didn't know Dad and you didn't, don't, know what he was capable of."

Katy tried to disguise how hurt she was by her sister's words by turning to watch Pat, who had taken over from Dot, singing Fever. She smiled slightly through the tears forming in her eyes, seeing how much her friend was enjoying the limelight. Beside her, Roxy put her arm round her waist and put her head on her shoulder, so that her nose was pressed into the hollow of her neck and her breath tickled Katy's neck as she spoke.

"Sorry, babe." She said. Katy didn't reply, but she put her hand on Roxy's and held it tightly.

When Ronnie came back, not long afterwards, she pulled her sisters over to one side. "_She did it._" She said calmly. Katy was slightly scared by how calm her older sister was about what she was saying. It was obvious that she hated their father, Katy didn't blame her for that, but surely she would have been angry with whoever murdered him.

"_What?_" Roxy breathed, complete disbelief all over her face. Ronnie nodded slowly. "What are we gonna do?" She asked her older sister. They seemed to have forgotten Katy was there, for the second time since they'd entered the pub. The teenager stayed quiet. After her argument with Roxy she didn't want to upset her again.

Ronnie shrugged. "_I don't know._" She said, but her expression seemed to suggest that she didn't want to do anything.

"_She killed out father._" Roxy hissed after dragging her sisters into the Vic's kitchen so that they wouldn't be overheard. "_No matter what we feel about him, that is wrong, isn't it?_"

Her sisters looked at her wondering what she was thinking. Katy started chewing her nails, her head lowered slightly, as she looked at her sisters underneath her fringe. She was making herself as small and invisible as possible. The teenager didn't feel like she had any right to a say in this matter. Roxy had been right; she had never known what Archie was like and what he was capable of. He was more Ronnie and Roxy's father than hers. Ronnie nodded at Roxy's words, almost reluctantly, biting her lip.

"So what can we do?" Katy asked, trying to break the almost deafening silence. Before either of her sisters could answer, there was a commotion out in the bar of the pub and the three of them rushed to see what was happening. Janine had staggered into the crowded pub, clutching her stomach and claiming that Stacey had stabbed her.

Whatever she had just been told, Katy couldn't believe this last piece of news. The teenager thought back to the first proper conversation she had had with Stacey, on the swings before she'd even told anyone who she was. Stacey seemed too fragile, too vulnerable. Katy couldn't believe that Stacey could possibly have stabbed Janine. Glancing at her sisters, evidently neither could they.

"Do you believe her?" Katy asked, wanting reassurance either way as to how she should be feeling about the whole situation. There was too much history, too much information for the teenager to take in. She needed her older sisters more than ever.

"I… I don't know." Ronnie said unsure. Roxy didn't say anything. She seemed to be paralysed in shock. "What do you think?" Ronnie seemed to be begging Katy to tell her what to think. Her eyes were wide and pleading.

"I doubt Stacey stabbed Janine." The teenager said at once. "She doesn't have it in her and, well, Janine's just evil."

Ronnie sighed and squeezed Katy's hand with a weak smile. Roxy didn't look totally convinced, but she nodded slowly. The three sisters rushed out onto the Square in time to see Ryan walk away from Janine who was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. Ronnie pulled her sisters around the square silently and they found themselves face to face with Stacey herself.

For a moment or two the woman looked at each other. Katy blinked at Stacey and held tightly onto Roxy's arm, afraid that she would attack the woman. She started forwards and both her sister's held on. Ronnie broke the silence, telling Stacey to go. Roxy couldn't believe that her sister would let their father's killer get away so easy and tried to pull herself out of Ronnie and Katy's grips. Katy held her sister tightly and looked at Ronnie for guidance. She just nodded and hugged both her sisters.


	45. Chapter 45

_**Thank **__**you, NickyWho and Brooklynn70. :) **_

_**In answer to your question, NickyWho,**__** I hate what they did to Ronnie in the proper storyline so baby James is NOT going to die, but Ronnie will still act a little crazy for a while.**_

Three days after Christmas Katy was making lunch for herself and Amy, when there was a hammering on the front door. She pulled a face at her little niece and went to see who it was. Whitney pushed past her, tears in her eyes and went into the living room. Katy closed the door and sat next to her friend, hugging her.

"Whit? What's wrong babe?" She asked, completely forgetting that she wasn't talking to her.

"Bianca told Phil about the jewellery and then she set Connor up. Phil probably got his thug out on Connor and Connor thinks it was me." Whitney said in a rush through her sobs. Katy didn't understand what she was talking about and she told her friend so.

"Connor gave me some jewellery to sell." Whitney said more slowly. "But then Phil bought it all off me and told Connor to hide it. He gave it to me and I hid it in the house. But then B found it while the police were searching for stolen perfume and she hit a policeman and ended up in a cell until Christmas morning."

Katy shook her head in disbelief and Whitney's naivety. "You…"

"When she got back she tipped all the jewellery down the drain, because she didn't know it was Phil's. Then she stole my phone and texted Connor telling him to come to ours where Phil was waiting for him. And Connor thinks it was me who set him up and now he won't ever speak to me again." She finished, bursting into fresh tears.

"Good." Katy said fiercely, making Amy who was watching cartoons jump.

"What?" Whitney said, looking at her friend with streaming eyes.

"Good." She repeated. "I told you to stay away from him. I said he was bad for you, but you wouldn't listen. He's got you handling stolen goods and he indirectly got B locked up on Christmas Eve. What else is he going to do?" Katy felt slightly guilty berating her friend for handling stolen goods when she thought back over her own actions. But the difference was that she hadn't been caught.

"You're supposed to be my friend, my best friend." Whitney said, looking at her accusingly.

"I am." Katy said bluntly. "That's why I'm telling you. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"You're supposed to support me."

"I'd rather say things you don't want to hear but that will mean you don't end up arrested or worse. I'm not going to support you when I think you're wrong. That's not what proper friends do." Katy said bluntly. She looked unflinchingly back as Whitney glared at her.

Whitney stood up furiously and stormed out of the flat. Katy walked to the window and watched her cross the square. She bumped into Ryan and Katy turned around, letting Whitney talk to her brother without her friend's prying eyes on them. She knew the teenager would come round and see sense eventually, whether she would realise Katy was right was another matter.

x

"Katherine Margaret Mitchell!" Ronnie shouted as she entered the flat that evening. She was nearly at her due date and didn't need to have to deal with the mess her younger sister had created in their home. "What the hell is all this mess?"

"What about screeching Amy Christina Margaret Mitchell?" Katy asked irritably coming into the living room. "I think you'll find that some of it is hers."

"I don't care who made the mess." Ronnie said angrily, sitting heavily on the sofa with one hand underneath her stomach to support it. "I want _you_ to clear it up." She pushed a couple of Amy's toys off the sofa next to her to prove her point.

"Oh what?" Katy complained but, seeing her older sister's face, the teenager thought better of arguing and held her hands up to show that she gave in and started tidying.

"Thank you." Ronnie said with a weak smile. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and Katy looked at her. She came and sat down next to her sister worriedly.

"What's wrong?" She asked urgently. "It's not little James, is it?" Katy put her hand on her sister's stomach and smiled as her nephew kicked in response to her touch.

"No." Ronnie sighed deeply. "It's Jean Slater."

"What? Has she said something, about Stacey?" As much as she liked the strange woman, if Jean Slater had upset her sister she would have Katy to answer to.

"No. I saw her and she tried to give me all these things; Lily's old clothes and toys and things. She was ranting about Stacey leaving and stuff." Ronnie said in a strangled voice. "Then she realised that she needed help and I stayed with her until her care worker arrived. It was so sad."

"Oh, Ron…" Katy said rubbing her sister's back as sympathetically as she could.

"She had this little knitted cardigan that she made for Stacey when she was a baby and she wanted me to take it. But I couldn't, Katy, she needed to keep it."

"You go and have a bath." Katy said gently. "I'll make sure this is sorted before you get out." She promised. Ronnie nodded and started towards the bathroom. She stopped with her hand on the doorframe.

"Have you heard from Rox?" She asked.

"No." Katy said reluctantly. "Only when she dropped Amy off and all she said then was, 'I'll pick her up at seven.'"

The sisters smiled, each trying to stay positive for the other, and then Ronnie closed the door with a click. They had hardly spoken to Roxy since Stacey had left the Square. The middle sister couldn't believe that the other two wouldn't want to see the woman behind bars for killing their father. In Katy's opinion it wouldn't solve anything; Lily would be left without her mother and it wouldn't bring Archie back. Not that they would want that anyway. Ronnie seemed to agree with her.


	46. Chapter 46

_**Thanks for the comments guys! I really do love reading them! **_

_**It's gonna get a little darker from now on, so I hope you still like it! I'm giving Katy her own 'storyline' rather than just concentrating on the 'Mitchell sisters' thing :) **_

_**Let me know what you think! :)**_

Katy's phone was vibrating. She felt around in the dark and looked at the display on her alarm clock. It was only twenty to six in the morning. She groaned and answered it, her voice croaky.

"Nathan?" She muttered, stifling a yawn. His name had flashed on her phone screen as she answered it. She had hardly thought about him since he had given her the money she needed for Ronnie's wedding.

"K? It's Daisy." A voice said on the other end of the phone. Katy thought hard. Daisy? Then she realised it must be one of her friends from back in Newport; Daisy, Nathan's girlfriend.

"D? What… it's like the middle of the night."

"I know. I'm sorry… just… please can you come?" Her friend pleaded down the phone. Katy sat up anxiously.

"Where are you?" She asked confused. Why was she asking Katy to come and see her?

"We're at Nathan's… In Balham. Please, hurry." Katy could hear the desperation in Daisy's voice and got out of bed. Reluctantly she realised that she couldn't ignore her friend's pleas for help.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." She said, hanging up. She threw on a pair of jeans and a hoody and grabbed her jacket. As quietly as she could, she left the flat. Outside she put her hands into the lining of her jacket, where there was a small slit, and pulled out a flip-knife. It made her feel safer, even if she had no intention of using it.

It took her a long time to get to Balham, because she couldn't find the right busses. Then she realised she didn't know where in Balham she was going and had to phone Daisy to get directions. As she got closer, the teenager started panicking. Katy was wary about getting involved with Nathan and Daisy again, especially if something had happened. She had done a lot of things in the past that she was very eager to forget, but being back in this situation was dragging them all back up in her memory.

Katy walked through the estate, which reminded her enormously of the estate she had grown up on. Then again, she didn't suppose that there was really much difference between council estates. She was nervous, but she had learnt not to show it. She climbed the stairs in the block Nathan lived in until she reached his flat and hammered on the door. Daisy answered it instantly and pulled Katy inside.

"It's so good to see you." She said, hugging her friend tightly. Katy returned the hug genuinely pleased to see her friend again. She noticed a purplish bruise on Daisy's cheek but said nothing, realising that bringing it up would probably lead to more trouble. She smiled reassuringly at her.

"It's good to see you too." She said, looking over Daisy's shoulder. "What's happening?"

Daisy pulled her into the living room and showed her what the problem was. The flat was a complete mess. Takeaway boxes and wrappers were strewn around, as were lots of clothes. Katy's eyes were drawn to the middle of the room, where Nathan was lying on the sofa, a kitchen knife sticking out of his stomach.

"Shit!" Katy swore. "Nath… But I don't get what I'm supposed to do?" She said moving to his side and panicking. She had never been in this kind of situation before.

"It was me that suggested we call you." A familiar voice said. Katy whirled around and saw Connor standing in the shadows just behind the door. She jumped, not expecting to see him there.

"Why?" She demanded suspiciously.

"They mentioned they knew you." Connor said with a shrug. He was giving her a look that Katy didn't understand. She suddenly remembered that Billie and Carol had lived in Balham, which was where Billie had met Connor.

Katy rubbed her forehead thinking fast. "Right, what happened?" She asked trying to stay calm. Nathan had obviously lost a lot of blood and his face was a horrible shade of grey.

"We were just mucking about." Nathan said weakly from the sofa. Katy saw a warning look pass between him and Daisy, who, Katy knew from personal experience, wasn't brilliant at keeping her mouth shut. The teenager shrugged, deciding she didn't want to know anyway. The less she knew, the less involved she was.

"Well you've got to get to hospital." Katy said simply. "There's no other option."

"You've gotta come with me, Mitchell." Nathan said. Katy thought she heard a hint of a threat in his voice.

"What? Why?" She demanded, her mouth falling open.

"I can't go, can I?" Daisy said. "I've been in so many fights and that. The last time they caught me I was carrying a knife. I nearly got sent down, K."

"What?" Katy said loudly, turning to look at her friend. "When was this?"

"You've missed a lot, babe." Daisy said, almost accusingly. She looked at Katy, a hard stare that made the teenager uncomfortable.

"Why can't Connor take you?" She asked desperate to get out of the situation.

"I got places to go, people to see." He said evasively. Katy glared at him.

"Fine." She snapped, realising that there was no other option. Standing around arguing was making Nathan's situation worse. "I'll do it on one condition. You," she jabbed her finger at Connor, "can never mention this to anyone. Especially Whitney."


	47. Chapter 47

Connor nodded with a smirk on his face. "I suppose I can be persuaded to keep my silence." Katy glared at him, hating him so much at the moment. Connor helped her to get Nathan to his feet. "I'll help you get him to the hospital, but then I'm out of there."

Katy felt like screaming, crying and throwing a tantrum but she just nodded. She had known that coming to see Nathan and Daisy would get her into trouble. If she'd known, however, just how much trouble it could get her into she would never have come. It was too later for that now, though. Katy concentrated all her energy into helping manoeuvre Nathan towards the flat door.

As they reached it, Katy's phone starting ringing, making the teenager panic and jump about a mile into the air. 'Ronnie' was flashing up on the screen. Katy swore and clicked ignore. She knew Ronnie would be worrying, but she would only worry more if Katy answered and didn't tell her where she was.

"Let's just get on with this." She snapped bitterly, putting her phone back in her pocket and helping Connor support Nathan down the stairs.

x

"See you around, beautiful." Connor said with a grin as Katy got out of the car he had stolen and took Nathan's full weight. She was so busy concentrating on not dropping the bleeding man that she didn't notice that her knife had fallen out of her jacket onto the passenger's seat.

"Yeah, whatever." She snapped, shuffling towards the hospital entrance. She had spent to the entire journey wishing she didn't manage to get herself into such difficult situations. Connor glanced down as they moved slowly away and saw the knife. He smirked and put it in his pocket. Then the car screeched away, leaving them to whatever was about to happen.

"Please, someone help!" Katy shouted as they entered A & E. She couldn't carry Nathan anymore and felt like she was about to drop him. Several nurses rushed forwards and took over. Katy tried to slip away while they were fussing over him, but a blonde nurse grabbed her by the arm and led her firmly over to the reception desk, where she had to fill in forms for Nathan.

"What's your name?" The nurse asked as Katy struggled with the forms. She didn't know many of the details that were required on the form.

"Stacey Slater." Katy lied without hesitation, saying the first name that popped into her head. There was no way she was going to tell them her real name.

"Well, Miss Slater. Mr Parry is insisting that he slipped over in his kitchen and landed on the knife. Is there any further information you can give us on the incident?" The blonde woman asked. Katy shook her head.

"I really don't know what had happened. I wasn't there when he got injured." She said truthfully. "I just got a phone call from him after it had happened. Then I told him he needed to get to hospital and here we are."

"Alright." The nurse was clearly not convinced by Katy's story and was regarding her with a suspicious glare. "The police will be here soon and they'll want to speak to you."

"Shit." Katy muttered under her breath when the nurse had left and it was just Nathan and her left in the cubical. They had rushed him into a separate room and removed the knife. It had all happened much more quickly than Katy had expected and she hadn't had an opportunity to leave.

"What?" Nathan muttered faintly, the anaesthetic they had given him was obviously still working.

"I've got six missed calls from Ronnie and five from Rox." She said panicking, more to herself than to Nathan. "I've got to go and phone them. I'll be back."

Katy left the cubical, told the nurse, who was on her way back in to check on her patient, where she was going and went outside. It was absolutely freezing. It was only now that she realised. The panic had mainly worn off and she shivered uncontrollably

"Katy?" Roxy answered on the first ring. "Where the HELL are you?"

"I'm just at the hospital." She said quickly. "Don't worry, I'm fine, I just…"

"Good. Get here fast."

"What?" Katy said in horror. "Why?"

"To see Ronnie, duh!" Roxy said.

"Why's Ronnie in hospital?" Katy asked stupidly, the cold and her current situation numbing her brain.

"She's in labour?" Roxy said as though her sister was deliberately being stupid. "Wait, why are you at hospital?"

"What? Oh, no reason. I'll see you soon." Katy replied quickly and hung up before her sister could ask any more questions. She raced back inside and into Nathan's cubical. "Listen," she said to both her friend and the nurse that was checking his vital statistics, "my sister has just gone into labour and I really need to go. I'll come back and check on you as soon as I can." She promised Nathan. "Where's the baby section?" She asked the nurse.

"You mean the maternity ward?" She said snootily. Katy stared at her, breathing sharply out through her nose to show she wasn't in the mood for sarcasm. The woman gave her directions to the ward and the teenager shot off along the corridor.

Eventually she reached the right place and asked for her sister at the desk. A smiling nurse showed her to the room where Katy could see both her sisters. Her eyes filled with tears before she even entered the room.

"Katy?" Ronnie said, looking round Roxy. "Come and meet your nephew. Come and meet James."

Katy covered her mouth with her hand and went to stand next to Roxy at their sister's bedside. Ronnie was holding her baby like he was the most precious thing in the world. Katy reached out and stroked his head gently, her eyes wide with wonder.

"He's beautiful, Ron." She said, putting one arm around Roxy's waist and smiling at her older sister. "Just like his mummy."

"_WE are the Mitchell sisters and you remember that, OK?_" Roxy said through her tears, one arm around Ronnie and the other around Katy. She smiled down at her brand new baby nephew. "_And this right here is the future._"


	48. Chapter 48

_**Ok, while James ISN'T going to die, Tommy IS. I didn't really want to do that, but it makes things a lot easier with continuity and linking it to the storylines and stuff. **_

Ronnie proudly brought baby James home. His Aunties and half-sister fussed around him until Ronnie had to tell them to back off. She took him out in the pram and came home with a baby grow that Alfie had bought. He had also bought one for his and Kat's baby, Tommy, who had been born pretty much the same time as James.

"I bet he's not as cute as our James." Katy said with a grin, stroking her nephew's soft hair. Ronnie grinned and wafted her sister away. "Listen, are you sure you don't want me to stay in with you?"

"No!" Ronnie said smiling. "It's New Year's Eve and you're eighteen! Go and have fun!"

Katy grinned not needing any encouragement, kissed her sister and nephew and left the flat. She made her way towards the Vic. Outside she found herself looking straight at Whitney. She bit her lip and looked apologetic.

"Sorry." She said. Whitney returned the smile.

"I'm sorry too." She said. Katy was glad. New Year's was the perfect time to put their argument behind them. She'd missed Whitney, especially after everything that had happened over the last few days.

"Truce?"

"Yeah." Whitney hugged her tightly. "How's the baby?"

"Gorgeous!" Katy said enthusiastically, "But we can gush over him tomorrow. It's New Year's. Let's party!"

She laughed and went into the pub where the party was already in full swing. The pair of them went over to Fat Boy and Mercy, who were standing at the bar.

"Alright baby girls?" Fats asked them grinning. They nodded and smiled at Mercy, who always seemed a bit guarded around them. Apparently Fat Boy was having problems with Kim Fox and they were trying to think of a plan to get rid of her.

"Good luck!" Katy said laughing and the two girls left, going to sit with Bianca, Ricky and Pat instead.

"How's my baby cousin?" Bianca asked. Katy had forgotten that Jack was Bianca's uncle.

"He's so cute!" Katy enthused. "Ronnie's shattered, but I guess that's normal seeing as she's just given birth, right?"

"Aww!" Bianca said, screwing up her face and smiling. "We'll have to come and see him tomorrow."

"Yeah, I don't see why Ron would mind." Katy said with a shrug. "Who's up for shots?"

The night passed with a lot of laughter. At midnight Roxy appeared at her younger sister's side and, as they counted down she leant heavily on her. When they got to one, Roxy practically picked Katy up and swung her round. The teenager laughed and wriggled free, getting caught up in singing Auld Lang Syne with everyone else in the pub.

When the song was finished, Katy pushed her drunken sister at Christian, who was equally drunk.

"Happy new year babe!" He said to his best friend's sister, hugging her.

"Back atcha!" She said grinning. "Now get over there and make sure Rox doesn't end up in the gutter!"

Katy had already texted Ronnie to say she was staying at Whitney's and didn't think any more about her sisters as she continued drinking with her friends. Not long after midnight, Whitney and Katy decided to go home and watch a movie, so Bianca rang Carol to say she could come out for a drink.

In the gardens, the teenagers ran into Connor. Whitney invited him back to hers but he refused, saying he wasn't feeling well. Katy watched him suspiciously through narrowed eyes. Her friend was obviously upset that Connor had turned her down so her leant in to give her a New Year's kiss. As he kissed her, he looked at Katy, who turned away, annoyed.

"_I'll call you._" Connor said to Whitney. Katy was looking anywhere but at them.

"_Promise?_" Whitney said. Katy snorted. Her best friend sounded desperate.

"_Promise._" Connor's reply didn't sound very sincere to Katy, but she wouldn't bother to point that out. "_Happy New Year._" His eyes flicked to Katy, who rolled her eyes and pulled Whitney away.

"You can do so much better." Katy told her best friend as they reached the Butchers' house. Whitney just shrugged and unlocked the door. As she looked over her shoulder on the doorstep, Katy saw Connor standing watching them. He pulled something out of his pocket and waved it at her before turning and walking away. With a jolt Katy realised it was her knife.

x

Late the next morning, Katy let herself into the flat and saw Jack sitting on the sofa, cradling James. She sneaked up behind him and jumped over the back of the sofa. Jack shot her a look and Katy rolled her eyes.

"You're back then?" She said, half scolding her brother-in-law for missing the birth.

"Looks like it." Jack said, hardly moving his eyes from his baby son. "Isn't he perfect."

"Like his Auntie." Katy said, taking hold of James's tiny hand gently. "Where's Ron?"

"In our room. She's exhausted."

Katy went to the door and knocked on it lightly. She pushed it open and saw Ronnie standing by the bed, crying and rubbing James's blanket on her cheek. Her teenage sister went and wrapped her arms around her.

"Hey…" She said gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Ronnie said, shaking her head and wiping her eyes. "I'm just tired."

Katy looked at her, not convinced. "Ron, I'm your sister. You don't need to lie to me. If there's something wrong, I want to know."

Ronnie looked at her hard for a moment. She opened and closed her mouth several times, putting her clenched hand, which was clutching James's blanket, over her heart.

"The baby… last night…" She started. Katy looked at her encouragingly. "I…"

"Ron?" Jack called from the living room. He opened the door and poked his head in. Katy looked at Ronnie who blinked and seemed to shoot back inside herself. "I think he's hungry."

"He won't…" Ronnie said weakly.

"I'll go and get some formula then." Jack said. He handed the baby over to Katy, who looked down at him and smiled.

"Hello, little man." She said, rocking him gently. "What were you saying, Ron?" She asked looking up at her sister. Ronnie looked as though she was going to cry again.

"Nothing… he didn't sleep much last night. I'm tired. Can you watch him."

"Of course I can." Katy said. "Come on little one, let's let mummy get some sleep." As she spoke, Katy could have sworn she saw Ronnie flinch.

When Jack got back with the formula, Katy handed back the baby and went for a shower. She stood under the jet of water thinking about Ronnie's strange behaviour and hoping she would be alright. Maybe it was just postnatal depression? As she got out of the shower, she heard Roxy and Amy arriving and hurried to get dressed.

"_Alright, Jack._" Katy heard Ronnie say as she walked into the living room. Her oldest sister was sitting at the kitchen table with her back to the window.

"What's wrong?" Katy asked, coming closer and rubbing her hair with a towel. Her sisters and Jack were looking at her as though something terrible had happened. "What?" She said panicking.

"It's Tommy Moon." Roxy said gently. "He died."

"Oh! That's horrible." Katy said, her eyes filling with tears. Her mind immediately jumped to her little nephew and she felt terrible as she found herself feeling glad that it wasn't him.


	49. Chapter 49

_**AlexGinny1 – I haven't decided whether I'm gonna include the prostitute storyline… I might put it in there, but I wouldn't be going into it a lot. I might just have Katy trying to help Whit or something! Haven't decided yet! :) **_

_**Brooklynn70**__** – You'll have to wait and see what Katy gets herself involved in ;)**_

Over the next few days Ronnie's behaviour got stranger and stranger. Katy walked in on her sister putting all of James' bedding into a bin liner. Jack grew more and more concerned about his wife and in the end he called the midwife.

"What did you do that for?" Katy demanded in an angry whisper when he told her what he'd done.

"Ron's not right." Jack said equally annoyed. "She obviously needs help."

"She needs support." Katy argued. "And sleep. Can't you see that she's exhausted?"

Jack had started shaking his head at the teenager's words and muttered about her just being a kid and not understanding. Katy had stormed out of the flat, looking for Roxy. Why did everyone insist on treating her like a child? They didn't know half the stuff she'd done and seen in her life. But she didn't want to be around when the midwife turned up to check on James. Instead she went to Dot's to see if the older woman wanted any help preparing for the party they were holding to welcome the new arrival to the Branning family.

"Oh, hello, Katy, dear." Dot said opening the door to the teenager, apparently surprised to see her standing on the doorstep. Katy took a deep breath and smiled at the woman, calming herself down. She enjoyed spending time with the older woman and Katy had a suspicion that the feeling was mutual.

"Hey, Mrs B." Katy said, slipping into the hallway. "I just came to see if you needed a hand."

Soon Dot had the teenager busy, making sandwiches and carrying the party food into the front room. Katy got the distinct impression that the old woman was grateful to have the company.

After an hour or so the rest of the family, Max and his girls and Carol, Bianca and co turned up as well. Katy and her best friends went to sit on the stairs as everyone else took over the front room. Whitney was going on about Connor and Lauren and Katy rolled their eyes at each other. They had already had a conversation about the best way to distract Whitney away from Connor, but so far they hadn't come up with any feasible ideas.

"You're just jealous." Whitney said, making her friends snort with laughter. Katy thought she was going to choke on the crisp she had just put in her mouth and Lauren had to smack her on the back.

She was stopped from replying as her mobile began to ring. '_Daisy_' flashed on the screen and Katy smiled at her friends and let herself out of the house before answering.

"Alright Dais, how's Nathan? I meant to ring, but my sister had a baby and things have been manic." She said apologetically.

"You didn't tell them your real name, did you?" Daisy asked, ignoring her friend's words.

"No, why?" Katy asked, panicked. "What's happened?"

"Good." The girl sighed. "Just after you left the filth arrived and wanted to speak to Nathan about it. They wanted to speak to you too, but Nath said he didn't know where you lived. He said he didn't know you that well."

"Shit!" Katy said, moving further away from the house, even though there was no way anyone could hear the conversation. She stood on the corner, so that she wasn't immediately visible from the house. "Do they think I stabbed him?" Being a suspect in one murder investigation was one thing, but being suspected of stabbing someone as well was another matter.

"Nah, I don't think so. I reckon they think you know something about who did."

"But I don't!" Katy protested. "I wasn't even there."

"I know mate, you don't have to tell me. Don't worry about it; Nath won't say nothing. I'll tell him you said hey, yeah?" Daisy said, sounding as though she was about to finish the conversation.

"Yeah. I'll see you soon maybe, yeah Dais?"

"Yeah, see you around, Mitchell."

Katy hung up and leant against the stone pillar at the bottom of the steps up to the house for a minute. She needed to compose herself before she went back inside. The sudden reappearance of her friend had dragged the past up to stare her in the face. Katy remembered who she had been when she was younger and was scared that the 'old' Katy was back. She had worked so hard since she had arrived in Walford to get rid of her past, but it seemed determined to catch up with her.

"Hey, gorgeous." Connor said beside her, taking her by surprise. She jumped and whirled round to glare at him.

"You've got something of mine and I want it back. Now." She hissed as menacingly as she could.

He grinned and opened his arms, walking backwards slowly. "Come and get it."

Katy looked over her shoulder at Dot's front door. Whitney and Lauren were sitting just the other side of it. What would they think if she just disappeared? What would happen if they decided to come and look for her at the wrong moment? She looked back at Connor who was watching her with amusement.

"Just give it back!" she snapped, unwilling to follow him.

"If you don't want it…" He shrugged and started to walk quickly away in the direction of the car lot.

"Connor!" Katy hissed, as loudly as she dared, but he didn't stop or make any sign that he had heard. She glanced over her shoulder again to make sure no one was watching, swore under her breath and set off quickly after him, trying to look as casual as possible.

As she turned the corner by the car lot, she slowed to a walk, wondering where he had gone. A strong hand reached out and pulled her into an alley. Connor pinned her up against the wall.

"Get off me!" She hissed, pushing against him. When that didn't work she brought her hand up and slapped him sharply across the face. Her ring had twisted so that the sharp jewel had connected with his face and cut him slightly. He recoiled, putting his hand to his cheek. For a minute Katy thought he was going to hit her back. She stood her ground, breathing heavily.

Connor grinned. "I like my girls feisty." He said.

"What about Whit?" Katy snapped in disgust. "I knew you weren't serious about her."

"Whitney's a nice girl," Connor said looking slightly guilty, "but she ain't my type, you get me?"

"I get you alright." Katy said, looking up at him with a smile. She had changed her tone dramatically. Connor licked his bottom lip and grinned as she brought her face close to his. Their mouths were almost touching when she brought her knee up quickly and he doubled over in pain.

As he fell to the ground, Katy bent down and picked up her knife, putting it firmly in her pocket. She grinned.

"You'll change your mind about me." Connor said, gasping for breath.

"I doubt it." Katy said amused, raising her eyebrows. "You ain't my type, you get me?" She imitated him with a grin.

"We'll see."

The teenager shook her head and made her way back to the flat, intending to hide the knife before anyone else got back. When she arrived, however, everyone who had been at Dot's was crossing the square, away from the flat.

"What's going on?" Katy asked Whitney and Lauren who were looking surprised to see her.

"Ronnie didn't turn up, so we all came over here. But then her and Jack were having an argument so we left again." Lauren said with a shrug.

"Where were you?" Whitney demanded. "You were gone ages."

"Nowhere." Katy lied, confused. She hadn't realised that she had been gone long. She thought it must have been five minutes at the most. "I just had some stuff to sort out. Is Jack still in there?"

"Nah, he stormed out. Roxy's with her." Lauren said. Katy rolled her eyes and headed into the building. "See you tomorrow, school, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you in the morning, babe." Katy replied with a nod.

"_He's changed so much._" Roxy said smiling down at her nephew as Katy entered the room. "_They do that though, babies, don't they, huh?_"

Katy went and stood beside her sister, looking down at James adoringly. She stroked his soft hair with one finger and smiled at Roxy, who leant her head against her sister's.

"_It's Tommy._" Ronnie just managed to say through her tears. Katy looked at her sister in astonishment.

"What?" She said, stunned.

"_Ronnie, stop it._" Roxy said in an exasperated voice. She looked at her older sister seriously. "_Stop it right now! Listen, you can't think about it. You're going to drive yourself insane!_"

Ronnie was shaking her head and crying and Katy looked between the older women not knowing what to do or say. Ronnie was obviously shaken up about Kat and Alfie's baby dying, which was understandable seeing as she had a newborn of her own. Then a horrible thought struck Katy. What if her sister meant that the baby in Roxy's arms was Tommy? She shook her head, unable to believe that she could actually think Ronnie was capable of that, dismissing the thought quickly.

"Right, I need to go and fetch Amy from Mum's." Roxy said acting as normally as she could, handing James gently back to Ronnie. "You look after her." She said pointedly to Katy, nodding her head towards their older sister who was looking at her son as though he was a bomb that was about to explode. The teenager nodded.

As Roxy left the flat, Jack came in looking annoyed. He shot Katy a look that clearly signalled that he wanted to speak to Ronnie alone. Tactfully she left the room, seeking refuge in her bedroom. For a while she tried to ignore the raised voices in the living room.

"_Sharing him with others don't mean he's going to die._" She finally heard Jack say gently to Ronnie. Katy looked carefully around her door, making sure she wasn't seen. Silent tears were falling down Ronnie's face and Katy wanted to hug her but she knew this was a moment that her sister needed to share with Jack. The teenager stayed in her bedroom with her iPod.


	50. Chapter 50

"So, do you fancy watching a movie later or what?" Whitney asked, frustrated as Katy didn't seem to be listening to her.

"What?" Katy asked, annoyed. She had been distracted by the police car that had drawn up on the square. A man in uniform got out and looked around, like he owned the place. Katy stiffened slightly as he looked directly at her. His gaze lingered for a while and then he looked away.

"What's going on?" Whitney demanded as her friend let out a sigh of relief.

"What?" Katy blinked. It was one of the police men who had interviewed her after Mrs Wilson's murder. Seeing him on the Square startled her. "Oh… I was just wondering what that copper was doing?"

"He's going into Carol and Glenda's." Whitney said, watching as well. She shrugged. "Maybe Glenda's after him." She grinned. "She's into younger men."

Katy laughed and relaxed slightly. "Listen, I'll catch up with you later, yeah?" She didn't wait for her friend to reply before turning and walking away towards the Square. She saw Ronnie walking purposefully down Bridge Street and jogged after her, pulling her school bag further up her shoulder.

"Hey, Ron." She said with a grin. "It's good to see you out."

"Yeah," Ronnie said with a brief smile. "I thought I'd get some air. Fancy a coffee?"

The teenager nodded and linked her arm through her sisters. She was glad to see that Ronnie seemed almost back to her normal self. Katy sent Ronnie to sit at a table while she ordered their drinks. Awkwardly, Katy spotted Alfie sitting at a table next to the one Ronnie had seated herself at. She hoped it wouldn't upset her sister.

"Thanks, Jane." Katy said, paying the woman and carrying the mugs over to the table. She had only been siting there for a few moments answering Ronnie's questions about her day at school, when she noticed Connor trying to catch her attention in the window. Worried that Ronnie, or anyone else for that matter, would spot him, she stood up hurriedly. "I'll be back in two seconds." She apologised to her sister and hurried outside.

"Alright." Connor said with a grin. "I know you couldn't resist me."

Katy glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Some fun." Connor said. The Mitchell shook her head.

"Seriously, get lost before I break something." She took one step towards him and jabbed her finger into his chest. "I _know_ you're not interested in me, so what's this about?"

"Who says I'm not?" He said, putting his hands on her waist and pulling her close, against the café window. Katy pushed him away instantly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Carol watching.

"Now look what you've done." She snapped. Carol was practically Whitney's grandmother; there was no way she wouldn't tell her about this. Connor looked concerned, staring after the older woman who had turned and stormed away in the direction of the bookies. As Katy shook her head, annoyed, she caught sight of her friend standing watching them as well. "Shit." She muttered.

Katy pushed past Connor, whose left hand was still resting on her waist. Katy didn't notice that he was still staring in the direction that Carol had disappeared in. The teenager ran towards her friend's stall, but Whitney had turned and started off towards her house.

"Whit!" Katy shouted. Whitney slammed the front door and refused to open it as Katy hammered on it. "I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me."

"Get stuffed."

"Whit, I said you couldn't trust him. I _told_ you." Katy said through the letter box.

"What was that, you proving you were right? I bet you've been after him the whole time. Is that where you disappeared to the other day? Were you with Connor?" Whitney hissed.

Katy looked at the sky desperately, as though she was hoping for some kind of divine intervention to sort out this mess. She didn't want to lie to Whitney, but she didn't want to tell her the truth either. Whitney took the hesitation as confirmation.

"I can't believe you!" She screeched and flung the door open.

"It wasn't like that!" Katy shouted back, dodging out of her friend's way as she went for her. Whitney tried to grab hold of the Mitchell's hair, but Katy grabbed her wrists and held them tightly. "You have to believe me. I wouldn't touch Connor with a bargepole. He had something of mine and I needed to get it back."

"Likely story." Whitney said, her eyes were flashing angrily.

"It's true!" Katy said earnestly. "He tried it on so I smacked him. That mark on his face, just below his eye on his left cheek? Yeah, I hit him."

Whitney's arms went limp and she took a step back. Judging it was safe to let go, Katy released Whitney's wrists. Several people had gathered on the Square, watching the girls.

"Shall we go inside?" Katy asked, aware that they were attracting a crowd. Whitney nodded wordlessly and went in. Her friend followed, closing the door firmly.

"What was it?" She asked quietly after a few minutes of sitting in silence. "The thing he had."

"I can't tell you." Katy said shaking her head. Whitney glared at her. "I want to tell you." Katy said quickly, "But it's not my secret to tell. Some scary people wouldn't be best pleased with me if I said anything."

She evidently looked so sorry that Whitney believed her. She nodded. "Just stay away from him, yeah?" She demanded.

"With pleasure." Katy agreed.


	51. Chapter 51

Jack was hammering on the bathroom door and shouting at Ronnie to come out. Katy was hovering around, wondering what she could do to help. Her phone, which she had abandoned on the kitchen table, kept ringing.

"_Look, he does need a walk don't he? Or he ain't gonna go down later!_" Jack said annoyed. "_Ronnie!_" Katy sighed and leant on the back of the sofa watching. "Katy, will you please just answer your phone? Or I'm going to throw it out of the window." Jack snapped turning to look at her angrily. She gave him a sulky look and went to the table. The teenager picked up her phone but instead of answering it, she clicked 'ignore'. It was an unknown number and she had more important things to think about.

"_Ronnie will you please just look after our baby?_ _I'm serious, this has got to stop._" Jack shouted through the bathroom door at Ronnie.

A text came through on Katy's phone as he spoke; '_Answer your phone, Katy, it's important. Connor._'

After a few seconds the lock clicked and the door opened, revealing Ronnie wearing in her best black dress. Katy clicked 'accept call' as she met her sister's eyes.

"_Yes it does._" She said and walked past Jack to the flat door.

"What?" The teenager hissed into her phone. "This really isn't a good time."

"Katy!" Jack said, signalling that she should follow her sister.

"I gotta see you. It's serious. I'm not messing around." Connor said. Katy hesitated. His tone sounded as though he was being completely genuine.

"Can't it wait?"

"No. We're both gonna end up in serious trouble." He said.

"Katy!" Jack said again.

"The allotments, ten minutes." He hung up. Katy's mind was all over the place. She didn't know what to do. Everyone wanted her at the same time. So many demands on her attention were making her frustrated.

"Katy, go and sort Ronnie out." Jack ordered. The teenager snapped.

"I'm busy!" She shouted. "Ronnie's a big girl, she's fine. If you're so worried, _you_ go and sort her out. You're her husband, aren't you?" She grabbed her jacket and slammed her way out of the flat. Outside she immediately felt guilty and looked for her sister. She didn't want her sister to suffer just because her husband was acting like an idiot. Ronnie seemed to have vanished. Katy swore under her breath and headed for the allotments, pulling her hood up to disguise herself as best she could and praying that Whitney wouldn't see her.

Connor was sitting on an upturned wheelbarrow what Katy arrived at the allotments with his hood up as well. He stood up, looking around nervously as she approached. He didn't seem half as confident as he usually did, which made Katy sure that there was actually something wrong. She stood beside him so that they could talk in low voices.

"What's happened?" She asked earnestly.

"I need you to keep some things for me." He said quietly handing her a drawstring bag.

"Woah! What?" Katy said furiously. "You dragged me over here when Ronnie… just to get me to look after something for you?"

"Listen, that mate of yours, Nathan, he's in with some serious people, yeah. Why do you think he got stabbed? Messing around with a penknife? Nah, he did some seriously dodgy stuff, double crossed the wrong people." Connor told her in a low voice. "He gave me this stuff to keep safe, but if they ask the right questions they'll be coming looking for me."

"So you want me to put myself in danger, risk my family to save your nuts?" She asked glaring at him.

"They ain't gonna hear about you, are they? Listen, you can handle yourself, yeah. I know you can. Please, Katy."

The girl wavered slightly and, realising she was going to say yes, Connor took the opportunity to hug her. He planted a kiss on her lips and it was a moment or two before she pushed him away.

"Thanks, gorgeous." He said grinning.

"Seriously, you try that again and I _will_ break you." She said, annoyed at him and herself. He winked but then looked at her seriously.

"Be careful, yeah."

She nodded, not convincing herself as she spoke. "Like you said, I can handle myself."


	52. Chapter 52

Katy stayed out for a while after her meeting with Connor. There were far too many thoughts whirling around her head to go back to the flat just yet. She was sure if Jack said anything to her about her outburst she would punch him in the face. She understood that it was hard for him as well, but he wasn't being particularly supportive of Ronnie at the moment. She was obviously struggling with James.

Then there was the question of what to do with the bag Connor had given her. She didn't know where to hide it. Taking it back to the flat was an option. If she could get it into her bedroom without anyone noticing it would be fine because no one tended to venture in there; Ronnie was conscious that her sister needed her own space. But if anyone saw the bag then she was in big trouble. Katy hadn't been able to bring herself to look inside it, but she was sure it didn't contain a bag of sweets and Connor's dirty washing.

When she finally went home, Ronnie was in her bedroom sitting on the bed. Jack and Amy were in the living room doing a puzzle on the carpet and Katy assumed James was in his cot.

"Can you go and get James?" Jack asked as she opened the door.

"Course, let me just…" She said needing to hide the bag in her room.

"No, Katy, now." Jack snapped. Katy rolled her eyes. Evidently he wasn't in the best mood. His sister-in-law wondered what had happened now.

She reluctantly put the bag on the counter and went into Ronnie and Jack's bedroom. Jack and Amy were occupied and the teenager guessed they wouldn't bother to investigate what was inside the bag. Her sister didn't even seem to register that she had entered the room. Sadly, Katy stroked Ronnie's hair and gave her a quick kiss. Then she smiled down at her nephew and gently lifted him out of the cot. Jack called her from the other room and Katy sighed.

"Here…" She said, handing the baby to his father and watched as he put James into his pram. Then her heart stopped as she realised what her niece was doing. "Amy, no!" she shouted, leaping across the room.

It was too late. The toddler had pulled the bag off the counter and the contents had fallen out. Jack looked at it and then at Katy. He had gone white with anger. Katy gulped.

"What the HELL is this?" He shouted, stopping to pick up a big packet of white powder and a gun.

"They aren't mine." The teenager said quickly. That didn't seem to make Jack any less angry.

"I'm taking Amy home and I want you out of this flat before I get back from Roxy's." Jack hissed. Katy's mouth dropped open at what she thought was a complete overreaction. He was well within his rights to be angry with her, but throwing her out?

"What?" She asked gobsmacked.

"You heard. I ain't having you around my kids bringing stuff like that into the flat." He said furiously. "You've got ten minutes."

"Surely it's up to Ronnie to throw me out?" Katy argued angrily, suddenly finding her courage. "I'm her sister and this is half her flat. You ain't nothing to do with me."

"Ten minutes." Jack said in a low voice and took two steps towards the teenager threateningly. He banged out of the flat with his children, leaving Katy alone and speechless. At first she thought that she would ignore him and stay. But then she thought about it more deeply and was appalled with herself. How could she have brought those things into the flat? In her defence she didn't know what was in the bag, but still.

With tears in her eyes, Katy went into her bedroom and gathered up all the important things she needed. She shoved everything into her rucksack and closed the door, leaving her photo album on the bed. Hesitating she went into Ronnie's room. Her sister didn't seem to have heard anything that had gone on and Katy knelt in front of her. She didn't even know if Ronnie was listening.

"I'm so, so sorry, Ron." She said putting her head on her sister's knees. "I'm gonna go, but please say you forgive me?" There was no response and Katy nodded sadly. "I love you, Ronnie. Thank you for everything. I really am sorry. Bye."

Katy stood up and left the flat, dropping her key into the bowl by the door as she went. Without thinking she made her way quickly to the Minute Mart, and bought a bottle of vodka, just before it closed. Patrick handed her back her change with a strange look on his face. Uncomfortably Katy thanked him and left the shop, wondering what to do next. Her phone beeped telling her that she had low battery and then turned itself off. She sighed, wondering what else would go wrong.

Slipping the bottle into her bag, she tried to work out what to do with the bag Connor had given her. She needed to get rid of it fast. She went into the Vic, getting more strange looks, and made straight for the toilets, wondering if she could slide it in behind one of the cisterns; they generally made good hiding places. But apparently not those ones and Katy went back into the pub.

x

Ronnie jumped slightly as she heard the front door close, as though it was bringing her out of a daze. She looked around her and realised that she was alone. Slowly the blonde woman raised one hand to her cheek where she could still feel her sister's kiss.

"Katy…?" She murmured.

The teenager had said goodbye.

"I love you, Ronnie. Thank you for everything. I really am sorry. Bye." Her words were still echoing around Ronnie's head. The woman jumped off the bed and ran to the door. She wrenched it open and made her way onto the Square. The brunette was nowhere to be seen and Ronnie rubbed her forehead thinking.

"Phone…" she muttered to herself and ran inside, grabbing her mobile off the side and dialling her younger sister's number. It went straight to answerphone. She tried again, but the outcome with the same.

She had lost her.

x

"Katy, dear." Dot said. "Can I have a word?"

"Course, Mrs B." The teenager said with a smile, sliding into the booth beside the old woman. She was stuck by a sudden idea.

"I know you probably do," Dot said earnestly, "but you really need to keep an eye on your sister. She was in here with James earlier… and then she came over to mine and Jim's… Just try and look after her."

"I will." Katy said, feeling guilty and as she stood up she purposefully knocked Dot's handbag onto the floor. "Oh, I'm so sorry Mrs B… here." She scooped everything off the floor and back into Dot's bag. Then she handed it to her with a smile. "I'll see you later."

As she left the Vic, Katy looked down at the old woman's keys that were nestled in her palm. She went over and let herself in, careful to make sure no one was looking. Silently she closed the door, wary of startling Jim. Quietly Katy opened the cupboard under the stairs and pushed the drawstring bag behind a pile of cleaning equipment. The thick layer of dust on it assured the teenager it wouldn't be found in a hurry. Then she let herself back out and headed back towards the Square.

"Oh! Heather." She said with a bright smile. "Just the person."

Heather looked surprised at being addressed by the dark-haired Mitchell. "Hello, Katy." She said warily.

"Can you do me a massive favour and give these back to Mrs Branning… I must have accidently put them in my pocket when I was picking up her bag." She pressed the keys into Heather's hand and smiled. "Ta."

Katy walked off, her smile vanishing instantly as she turned away from the woman, deciding to go and see Connor. All this was his fault, after all. Katy walked with her head down, to the arches. Everyone she passed seemed to be giving her the same strange look Patrick had and she started to wonder if she had something on her face. She thought she heard someone muttering something about Ronnie being crazy and gave them a hard glare until they looked away.


	53. Chapter 53

"Is there something on my face?" Katy demanded as she opened the metal doors to the Arches. Luckily Connor was alone.

"What? No?" he said, confused. He eyed her rucksack.

"Really? Everyone's been giving me really weird looks." She said. "Listen, can I ask you a favour? Can I sleep here tonight… Jack found the bag and kicked me out."

"I dunno…" Connor said nervously. He looked around.

"Don't worry," Katy said sarcastically. "I won't tell anyone. I just want somewhere dry and reasonably warm to sleep. And I brought vodka." She shook the bottle at the mechanic and he grinned.

"Go on then."

x

Next morning Katy woke up and squinted as bright light hit her eyes. It took her a moment to realise why she was lying underneath a dirty sheet on the back seat of a car. It wasn't until she spotted the almost empty bottle of vodka on the floor that she worked out why her clothes were scattered around.

"Shit." She muttered. Connor looked as though he was feeling exactly the same. He had the decency to look away as she found her clothes, quickly dressed and gathered her things. "You can keep the vodka." She said, the shadow of a grin playing about her lips. "Let's just forget this, yeah?"

"Suits me fine." Connor said nodding, relief crossing his face. "I told you you'd change your mind about me." He joked, looking for a reaction on the teenager's face.

"See you." Katy left the Arches quickly, ignoring his words and headed for the tube station. She was planning on going to stay with Nathan and Daisy for a few days to get her head sorted. Her phone was still dead and no one saw her as she walked quickly away from her home. She was glad. With one last look over her shoulder Katy put her hood up and kept her head down, heading for the station.

x

Katy knocked loudly on the door of her friends' flat. Daisy answered it, looking as though she was expecting someone else to be stood outside.

"Can I come in?" Katy asked in a quiet voice. The older girl nodded reluctantly and stepped aside so that the teenager could walk in, before closing the door firmly and sliding the bolt across the top. Katy looked at it, nervously, but walked into the living room and sat down. "I've been kicked out." She said bluntly. "Can I stay here for a few days, just until I get sorted?"

"Yeah…" Daisy said nervously, she wasn't quite meeting Katy's eyes. "I mean… I'll have to check with Nath."

"Course. Where is he? How's the…" she pointed to her stomach, indicating she was talking about his wound.

"He'll be back soon." Daisy avoided answering the question. "I actually thought that was him at the door." She seemed incredibly tense and Katy instantly regretted coming. Something wasn't right. But it was too late now.

"Are you OK?" she asked, moving closer to her friend.

"Yeah… Katy, you shouldn't stay… get out of here before…" She stopped as a loud hammering sounded on the door.

"DAISY!" Nathan shouted from outside. "Open the door you stupid cow!"

Daisy leapt to her feet and pulled the bolt across. Nathan flew through the door, which smacked the girl and rebounded, slamming shut. She didn't make a sound, although Katy was sure it must have hurt. Nathan was staring furiously at Katy.

"What do you want?" He demanded.

"I need to stay for a night or two." She said calmly. "I got kicked out."

Nathan considered her for a moment, before he shrugged. "You'll need to pay your way."

"Course… as soon as I find a job or something."

"I can think of a job for you." Nathan said nastily. "I'll get on the phone… I'm sure I know some people who might want to meet you."

"No thanks." Katy said disgusted, knowing exactly what he meant. She glanced at Daisy who seemed to have shrunk as soon as her boyfriend appeared.

"Well it'll have to be robbing then." He said with a shrug. "I got a nice little job ready and waiting." Katy sighed and nodded.

She did her best to stay out of Nathan's way. She hadn't known him as well as his brother, but she was shocked at how different he was from the last times she had seen him. Daisy was covered in bruises and terrified to say anything in front of him. But she was also too in love with him to leave.

As she lay on the sofa that night, Katy tried to ignore the screaming match that was going on in the bedroom. The flat below seemed to be having a party and, apparently to compensate, the flat next door's TV was blaring. She sighed and thought about her sisters. Why had she been so stupid?


	54. Chapter 54

Katy hardly slept that night. The screaming match in the bedroom had continued into the early hours of the morning and the teenager on the sofa had done her best to block out the sound with a cushion.

When she finally managed to fall asleep, it seemed like a matter of minutes before she was awake again. A quick glance at her watch told her that it was ten o'clock and Katy stood up. She was fully dressed, having been reluctant to get changed last night. She went quietly to the kitchen area, wary of waking the others. There was hardly any food in, but Katy made herself a mug of tea and a couple of slices of toast.

"You gonna pay for that?" A voice said behind her. Katy whirled round and saw that Nathan was leaning against the door frame, wearing a pair of baggy jogging bottoms. She didn't like the way he was looking her up and down and was incredibly glad that she was dressed.

"I said I would." Katy snapped. "What's this job you've got lined up, anyway?" She asked, taking a sip from her mug. In the years she'd spent on the estate, Katy had learnt that the best thing you could do was to pretend the person in front of you didn't faze you at all.

"The less you know about it the better." Nathan said, not rising to the bait. "Just be ready to go in half an hour."

Katy sighed and went to the bathroom, taking her make-up with her. She didn't think about what she was doing, letting her brain wander as she did her face. This was exactly what she'd been worried about when she first made contact with Nathan. She'd worked so hard to leave her past behind her and start a new life in Walford. Now where was she; alone and without her family.

Her phone still didn't have any battery, but Katy was reluctant to leave it on charge while she wasn't there. She slipped it into her pocket and followed Nathan out of the flat and down to a large white van. She sighed at the unoriginality but said nothing. The man grabbed her roughly by the arm and pushed her into the back of the van so she fell heavily and banged her head. He slammed the door and climbed into the front.

They drove for a long time. Katy guessed they were going far away from the estate to lessen suspicion. Finally they stopped and the door was opened. Nathan dragged Katy out of the van.

"I'm capable of getting in and out of a van." Katy said grumpily, rubbing her arm where she could still feel the indents of Nathan's fingers.

"Whatever." He said, shoving her in the back. "We need you to get into that house and let us in. "Bingo's taken out the alarm, we just need you to get in. You know what these snobs are like; they'll have left a window open somewhere."

Katy nodded, wordlessly and looked at the house. It was a large, secluded stone house and they were obviously in the country. Nathan had obviously moved up in the world of crime. Carefully the teenage girl moved around the house scrutinising the doors and windows. Finally she found a bathroom window on the first floor that was slightly open. She shinned up the drainpipe and slid inside.

"What took you so long?" Nathan growled as she opened the front door from the inside. Katy didn't respond. "Get back to the van and wait for us." He grabbed Katy by the throat, pushing her against the wall of the house. "You do as you're told Mitchell, I know you."

Taken aback, Katy went back to the van and sat in the cab, shaken. Now she completely understood why Daisy seemed such a shadow of her former self. There was something horrible, dark and twisted in Nathan that meant he could snap at any moment. She waited nervously until she heard them loading things into the back of the van and climbed out, wondering what they wanted her to do.

"Do something useful then." Nathan said, throwing a heavy wooden box at the girl. She gasped as it caught her in the chest and almost winded her. Inwardly fuming, she didn't say anything but got on with helping to load the back of the van.

When they were driving the van back to the estate, Katy in the back surrounded by the stolen goods, the teenager let herself cry. She wished that she could go back to Walford, but that wasn't really an option at the moment. Maybe after a week or two Jack would have calmed down, but until then Katy doubted she would be welcomed back.

"Get out." Nathan ordered when the van had come to a halt. Katy did as she was told and stood beside him as he arranged with his friend, Bingo, about where to stash the goods before they could fence them. Then he grabbed Katy by the arm, dragging her back to the flat.

Daisy watched them wordlessly as they entered. She looked concerned as Nathan let go of Katy and the teenager wordlessly went to the bathroom, locking herself in. Katy closed her eyes as the arguing started, almost immediately.

The argument was continuous and that night was the same as the night before, with Nathan and Daisy screaming at each other in the bedroom. The next day involved more van trips and her arms were covered in bruises. A nasty bruise had developed on her chest where the box had hit her. Every day and night was the same. Katy had made up her mind to leave after a week; she couldn't take it anymore. Even Jack's anger wouldn't be as bad as this.


	55. Chapter 55

Opening her eyes, Katy was immediately aware that someone was watching her. She shot into a seated position, pulling the blanket around her. A table lamp flicked on and Nathan grinned at her. She sighed; terrified that it had been someone else. Then again, he was frightening enough.

"I got someone outside who wants to meet you." He said with a nasty grin.

"I told you, no." Katy said firmly.

"And I said yes." Nathan said threateningly. He came towards her.

"No." She argued, her heart thumping in her chest.

He grabbed her chin in his hand and pushed her head backwards. He was holding her so tightly that Katy was convinced he could break her jaw or snap her neck. She tried to kick him and he pinned her arms and legs down with his knees so that he was on top of her. Katy's eyes were wide with fear and he grinned.

"Get up." He said, whispering in her ear. Shakily the teenager stood. Nathan released his grip on her slightly and Katy tried to kick him again. He was quicker and stronger than her and Katy felt an almighty pain in the side of her head as his fist connected with her cheek. She collapsed on the floor and hardly registered the fact that he had dragged her back onto the sofa. She felt his weight on top of her, but couldn't do anything about it.

She closed her eyes and let tears silently fall down her cheeks until he was done with her. Then he pushed her back onto the floor and kicked her a couple of times, apparently just for good measure. Katy curled herself into a ball and shook with silent tears.

An old woman from back home had once told Katy that in the end she would get everything she deserved. Katy also remembered Glenda's words after Ben's party. Apparently she was getting what she deserved now. The teenager stayed curled on the floor until the sky began to get light. Then she got up, steely determination taking over her. She grabbed her things and started towards the door.

Her eyes fell on Nathan and Daisy's mobiles just lying on the table. Quickly Katy deleted her number from their address books and checked that there were no calls or messages that they could track her down with. Then she left the flat and ran as fast as she could until she had left the estate far behind.

She didn't relax until she was sitting in a small, grotty café clutching a mug of tea. She hadn't even thought about checking her reflection before now and the expression on the face of the woman who had served her indicated that she looked a state. Katy bent down so that her reflection was visible in the silver sugar pot. She couldn't see properly but she guessed that she had some bruises. The teenager sighed and gulped down the rest of her tea, before heading to the toilets to check the damage out properly.

It was worse than she'd expected. There was a cut on her left cheek bone and she had a black eye. Apart from that, her face was pale and there were huge bags under her eyes. The rest of her ached and she was covered in bruises. Katy pulled down her sleeve, revealing her shoulder and the top of her arm. They were covered in bruises. She pulled out her makeup and did what she could, but it didn't have much effect.

She had made up her mind to go back to Walford and grovel until Jack forgave her and let her stay in the flat. She just wished she didn't have to go back looking like this. This was not the way she wanted people to see her.

x

Katy put her hood up as she left the tube station and made her way along the road. She didn't want to see anyone until she got back to the flat. But, in Walford, that was difficult to do.

"Katy?" A voice called and Katy stopped. She wished, rather than hoped, that Dot wouldn't notice her face. Fat chance of that; the woman had the eyes of a hawk.

"Hey, Mrs B." Katy said as lightly as she could. "How're things?"

"Oh, I say!" Dot said in alarm, looking at the teenager's battered face. "What happened?"

"Oh, that?" Katy laughed. "Nothing. I'm so clumsy I just tripped over my feet!"

Dot didn't look convinced, but smiled at the teenager as she made her excuses and headed towards Ronnie and Jack's flat. She took a deep breath before ringing the buzzer. She waited a long time before there was an answer.

"Hello?" Her sister said in a weak voice.

"Ron? It's me. I… can I come in… please?"

There was a hesitation and then the door clicked open and Katy went inside. She kept her hood up, hiding her face.

"Where the HELL have you been?" Roxy shouted as her younger sister came through the front door. Katy hadn't known that her louder sister would be here as well. She had assumed that only Ronnie would be in. "Take that stupid hood off."

"I can't." Katy said quietly.

"Don't be stupid!" Her sister said exasperated. She crossed to her sister and wrenched her hood down so that her face was revealed. Then she gasped and put her hands to her mouth. Behind her, Ronnie's mouth dropped open and she stared at her baby sister's battered and bruised features.

Katy said nothing. She just pulled her hoody over her head. Her vest top left her arms bare and the bruises shone. The top of the huge bruise on her chest from the box was visible. Ronnie pushed past Roxy and stood in front of Katy. She put her hand on her sister's cheek and stared at her.

"What happened?" She demanded softly. Katy shook her head and refused to say.

"Can I have a shower?" She asked. It had been the thing she had wanted most since she had left the flat. Ronnie nodded and Katy escaped to the bathroom. She could hear her sisters discussing her in low voices as she let the hot water fall onto her face.


	56. Chapter 56

For the rest of the day Katy did her best to avoid situations where her sisters would be able to question her. She didn't know how to find the words to tell Ronnie and Roxy what had happened. She knew that they would understand, that they wouldn't judge her, but she just couldn't say the words. Ronnie had done it, but Ronnie was much stronger than her.

In the end they had cornered her. Ronnie grabbed her arm and Roxy put one hand on her shoulder. Katy squirmed, but didn't struggle too much. They pulled her over to the sofa and sat her down between them, each holding one of her hands.

"K…" Ronnie said gently. "What happened? We know something did… you're not yourself." It was true, Katy was jumpy and nowhere near her usual carefree self.

"Tell us where you were, babe." Roxy joined in the questioning. "Talk to us."

Katy opened and closed her mouth several times, wondering how to start. She didn't want to keep her sisters in the dark, especially after everything they'd been through. Everything they were apparently still going through. But she didn't know where to start and stop. There was so much Katy could, should, tell her sisters; but she couldn't. It was too complicated.

"I went to stay with… someone I thought was a friend… from before." She said slowly. "But then… he wasn't who I thought he was."

"What d'you mean?" Ronnie asked, urgently, gripping her sister's arms tightly. Katy wriggled, her older sister's grip hurting her already sore arms. The look in her eyes made the teenager think that Ronnie knew what Katy couldn't tell her. The look made Katy so sad; it was a desperate look, as though the older woman was hoping, wishing that Katy wouldn't say what she didn't want to hear.

"He… last night… he…" Katy started. She took a deep breath and summoned all her confidence to tell them the truth.

The door opened and Jack walked in. He took one look at the back of the three heads on the sofa and slammed the door behind him.

"I don't believe this." He said furiously, stamping around to face them. "I told you to leave."

"Jack!" Ronnie said, standing up and putting both her hands on her husband's chest, almost pushing him backwards. "Leave her!"

"No!" He shouted back, obviously ignoring the teenager's injuries. "She brought a gun in here, Ron. That's a step too far."

"She's my sister!" Ronnie screamed at him. But Katy had had enough. She jumped to her feet and pushed past the arguing couple. She stopped at the front door.

"I know exactly how you feel, Ron." She said, her eyes filling with tears. "After Archie… raped you. I know what that feels like. Maybe not my dad, but I know."

She ran from the flat, leaving them speechless. Katy passed familiar faces, all of them exclaiming at the state of her and some calling after her as she went. It took her a while of wandering around to work out where to go. The safest place she could think of was Dot's house, so she made her way there.

"Mrs B?" She hammered on the door, wishing she'd grabbed a jacket before she left the flat because it was freezing, not to mention the fact that her injuries were highly visible.

"Katy?" Dot answered the door, looking confused. "You must be freezing, come in."

The old woman pulled the teenager into her house and wrapped her arms round her, hesitantly. When Katy responded, Dot hugged her tightly, patting her on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Branning." Katy said with a weak smile. "I didn't know where else to go."

"Come and sit down, dear." Dot said kindly, leading Katy to the kitchen. "I'll put the kettle on and I'll find you a cardigan to wear. You sit there."

Dot disappeared off and returned a few moments later with a chunky green cardigan. Katy put it on gratefully and cupped her hands around the cup the old woman had placed on the table in front of her. The teenager smiled.

"Thank you." The two sat quietly, sipping their tea, for a while. Dot didn't ask Katy any questions and the teenager was grateful for that.

"They'll be wondering where you are." Dot said gently.

Katy shook her head. "No they won't. Jack kicked me out and I don't blame him. I did something really stupid and now I'm dealing with the consequences."

"Jack's bark is far worse than his bite." Dot said soothingly, patting Katy's hand.

"I dunno… he was pretty pi- angry," Katy stopped herself swearing in front of the woman as she knew Dot didn't like that kind of language, "and he and Ron were having a massive fight when I left."

"I don't think you've got anything to worry about." Dot said with a smile. "I've never seen three sisters more fiercely protective of the others than you three." She leant forwards conspiratorially. "When you first arrived, it was as if they already knew, just by looking at you. You've got a bond. They'll come looking for you, you'll see."

Katy laughed quietly and shook her head. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk a lot of sense, Mrs B?" Dot took a coy sip of her tea, but she couldn't stop herself smiling. Katy grinned too and reached for her mobile. She groaned when she realised that she'd left it on her bed. Then she removed the thought from her mind and turned her attention to helping Dot spring clean the downstairs instead. It helped take her mind off everything.


	57. Chapter 57

_**Thank you all so much for the comments. Reading them makes me smile :) I hope you carry on reading, enjoying and commenting!**_

The doorbell rang, jolting both Katy and Dot out of the little bubble they were in. They'd put on a record that apparently Dot used to dance to when she was younger and both women had been swinging their hips and humming along as they dusted around the ornaments. For Katy, who had spent most of her time cleaning when she had lived with her mother, the time spent with Jack's step-mother was a distraction from normal life.

Dot gave her a reassuring smile and went to answer the door, still wearing her apron and carrying her duster. Katy chewed her thumbnail anxiously, wondering what would happen when the door opened.

"Is she here, Dot?" Roxy said. Katy could hear the worry in her sister's voice. Dot obviously nodded, because Katy didn't hear any response from the older woman before she heard Roxy entering the house. "Oh thank god. We've been looking everywhere."

"What's up, Rox." Katy said as calmly as she could. Her sister flew across the living room and enveloped the teenager in a massive hug. Katy held onto her tightly, burying her face in the collar of Roxy's coat.

"I'm scared to let go, in case you run away again." Roxy said half laughing and half crying. Katy echoed her sentiments.

"I won't, I promise." Katy said, removing herself from her sister's grip. "Where's Ronnie?"

"Oh! Ron!" Roxy pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her sister. "She went to find out if you were at Whit's." She sat on the sofa and looked around. Dot had gone to make tea for them all and Roxy took the opportunity to talk frankly to her sister. "Did you mean it… about…"

"Yeah." Katy nodded. "But I don't want to talk about it. It's done. Talking about won't stop it having happened."

"But, the police?"

"No." Katy snapped. "We go to the police and it'll make things difficult… for me and for us."

"Katy…" Roxy started, but Dot appeared with a tray of tea cups and the doorbell rang again. Ronnie was shown into the living room and the hugging was repeated with all three of them.

"I just want to forget all about it." Katy said seriously, looking both her sisters in the eyes. "I want to go back to school and work and pretend nothing happened." Ronnie and Roxy exchanged looks and reluctantly nodded. Behind them, Dot shot Katy a supportive smile and Katy felt secure again.

"There seems to be something going on at Whitney's." Ronnie said, attempting to change the topic of conversation. "I heard shouting when I was waiting on the doorstop and then Ricky seemed flustered when he opened the door. He seemed to think I'd be Bianca."

"That's weird." Katy said, grateful that Ronnie was talking about something else.

"Anyway, thanks for the tea, Dot." Roxy said. "We should probably get going. I need to pick Amy up from Mum's." Dot's face fell slightly at these words, but she didn't say anything. As the sisters filed out, Katy gave her a kiss on the cheek and the old woman smiled, bashfully.

"Thank you, Mrs B." Katy said seriously. "For everything."

Dot smiled and closed the door on the sisters. They crossed the Square, walking closely together. Several of the stall holders watched their progress, muttering to each other in low voices. Ronnie and Roxy shot them dirty looks, as though daring someone to comment. Katy kept her head down, not looking at anyone.

"Is Jack… what did he say about…" Katy said, trying to ask whether Jack still wanted her gone.

"Don't worry about Jack. I've sorted it." Ronnie said soothingly, putting her arm around her younger sister's shoulders. "But we are going to have a little chat."

Katy gulped and nodded. She had guessed that this was coming; there was no way that Jack would have kept what he'd seen from her sister and there was no way Ronnie and Roxy would sweep that under the carpet without questioning her about it first.

"What about school?" Katy said quietly as Ronnie made her a mug of hot chocolate. Ronnie smiled at her and put the mug of hot chocolate in front of her sister.

"Do you want to go in?" She asked gently. Katy was stopped from replying by James' cry from the bedroom. "Hang on." Ronnie went to pick her son up, bouncing him slightly in her arms as she came back into the kitchen. "Can you hold him for a minute, sweetie?" She asked, putting the baby into Katy's arms.

"Hello, you." The teenager said, smiling down at her little nephew. She put her finger into his tiny fist and he squeezed it tightly, blinking up at her with his big, blue eyes.

"Now… where were we?" Ronnie handed Katy a bottle to feed James and sat opposite her. "Do you want to go back to school?"

Katy shrugged, looking at her nephew rather than her sister. "I do… but not looking like this."

"Do you want to take a week or so off then?" Ronnie said understanding. "We can call up in the morning and say you've got flu or something."

"Thank you." Katy said with a weak smile at her sister. "For everything."

"You need to stop saying thank you, Katy." Ronnie said, gently picking up her son and kissing her sister on the top of her head. "You're our sister, Rox and me would do anything for you, OK? Now get some sleep, we'll talk about everything else tomorrow."

Katy smiled gratefully and went to bed.


	58. Chapter 58

It was almost as though there was a timer programmed in Katy's brain that kept waking her up every hour or so. Every time she managed to get back to sleep she had the same nightmare. She woke up just as Nathan was coming towards her, arms outstretched.

In the end Katy got up. She couldn't deal with the nightmares and needed to get some fresh air. It was quarter past six, still pitch-black and absolutely freezing outside, so Katy put on a cardigan, hoody and jacket before venturing out. She had one hand on the latch of the front door when she realised that vanishing without a trace again wasn't the most sensible idea.

'_I haven't vanished; I just needed some fresh air. I've got my mobile, so call me if you need me. I'll be home later. K x'_ She scribbled on a scrap of paper and left it on the counter where her sister would see it when she got up.

Outside, she took a deep breath of the fresh air, which was so cold that it felt as though her lungs were burning. Billowing clouds of steam appeared in front of her as she breathed out again. Katy pushed her hands into her pockets, trying to keep them warm and walked towards the bench in the gardens in the middle of the square.

Sitting in the dark, quiet and cold Katy let all the thoughts that had been locked away in a corner of her mind buzz around freely. It was almost like a fish tank. Lots of separate little thoughts and worries and hopes and dreams were flying around and, one at a time, she could pluck them out and examine them before storing them or locking them out of sight or throwing them away.

One of her biggest, oldest fears was that she would develop the same illness as her mother. Katy wasn't entirely sure what had been wrong with Karen. She didn't have the best memory and all the long, Latin words that had been used to describe the illnesses to her as a child had been lost in the emotion of the moment.

Every time Katy felt like things were sliding downhill, she worried that she was developing the depression she and her mother had lived with for so long. And now, after everything that had happened in the last week or so, Katy's fears about her mental state were increasingly serious. She knew, perhaps more than most people that depression wasn't a thing that clicked on and off when bad and good things happened.

She sighed and shook the thought away, replacing it with another. She had told Ronnie that she was more of a mother to her than Karen had ever been. Remembering those words filled Katy with guilt, even though it was true. She clicked open the locket around her neck, the last present her mother had ever given her and looked at the photo inside. Karen, the way her daughter preferred to remember her, before she'd got too ill. Apart from the dark hair, there was almost no similarity between Katy and her mother. Everything else about her was Mitchell. Irrationally, Katy even felt guilty about that and closed the locket, pushing it back down inside her many layers.

The eighteen-and-a-bit years of Katy's life had been eventful. There had been highs and lows, mainly lows and lots of memories, both good and bad. There were lots of things that she wished she could change. Recently Katy had started to feel like her life was something out of a film or off the television. But she knew lots of people with lives just like hers; unplanned teenage pregnancies, caring for a sick parent, getting themselves into trouble that they couldn't handle. Some people just had bad luck. Maybe she was self-destructive? She'd managed to turn her life around; coming to Walford and finding her sisters. But then she'd ruined it all by going back to her old ways and dragging up old memories and feelings.

Katy stood up and started walking. It was starting to get light and the eager stall owners would soon be setting up their pitches and sorting their stock. The teenager didn't want to be around when that all started. All of a sudden she felt an overwhelming longing for her Aunt. Peggy had been so kind to her, just as she'd imagined a mother or grandmother would be. But then she had left Katy as well, just like everyone else. Now the odd text and phone call was all the teenager got.

She pulled out her mobile and scrolled through her past texts. _'Keep your chin up darling. Auntie Peg x'_ was the last text she'd received from her Aunt, two days ago. Katy had texted her because she was finding it tough being in the flat with Nathan and Daisy. That was the response she'd got. At the time she'd found it comforting, but now… now Katy felt almost let down by her Aunt.

Her phone started ringing, making Katy jump. She clicked the green button and held the mobile to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Sweetie… please come home." Ronnie said in her ear. "It's dark and it's cold."

"I'm on my way." Katy replied simply. "I'll be there in two minutes."


	59. Chapter 59

"Are you ready to talk to me, then?" Ronnie asked sitting opposite Katy at the kitchen table, James in her arms. Jack had barely looked at his sister-in-law as he got ready for work and she had been too nervous to say anything to him.

"OK." Katy said with a nod. She owed her sister the truth; or most of it. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Start at the beginning and go from there." Ronnie commanded seriously. "We can only help you if you're honest with us."

"Well… I guess it started when Rox realised that we needed money to pay for your wedding. She went to sell everything she could and I went to get money in the only way I know; burglary." Ronnie looked shocked at her sister's blunt words and Katy felt sick at herself and her actions. "I went to a guy I know from back in Newport. He was seven years older than me, but I was mates with his younger brother. He gave me money for the stuff I stole; only two grand, but it was something."

"Two grand?" Ronnie repeated astonished. Katy nodded.

"Then I thought that was that, until the day James was born. I got a phone call really early from Daisy, Nathan's girlfriend. She said they needed my help so I went over to Balham, where they live. He'd got in with some dodgy people and they'd stabbed him in the stomach. I had to get him to the hospital, where Rox told me you'd gone into Labour.

"Then, do you remember the day where you'd locked yourself in the bathroom and Jack was shouting at you that you needed to look after James?" Ronnie looked slightly ashamed at her sister's words, but Katy hardly noticed. "Connor rang me and said that we needed to meet. He was there when Nathan got stabbed and he said it was serious. I met him at the allotments and he gave me that bag. He said that if the wrong people asked the right questions they'd find him and we'd all be in trouble. So I took it to hide. I never meant Amy to get it. I was going to put it in my room until I could get rid of it properly, but Jack told me to go and get James out of his cot."

"But…"

"Please, just wait." Katy said quietly. "So Jack threw me out; which I don't blame him for. I went to find Connor. I figured he owed me a place to stay because it was his fault I'd been thrown out. We ended up getting drunk and slept together. Then I went to stay with Nathan and Daisy. They're the only other people I know around London. But that turned out to be a mistake, because Nathan kept trying to get me on the game and when I refused… well… he raped me."

Ronnie clutched Katy's hand tightly. "What about his girlfriend?"

"He was beating her senseless, but she won't leave. They had fights every night, it was horrible. I think if I'd stayed any longer I'd have become his next punch bag. He already started on me."

"We have to go to the police." Ronnie said, standing up and putting James gently in his pram. Katy stood up too and grabbed her sister's arm, more tightly than she'd intended. Ronnie gasped in pain and her sister let go instantly, shocked at herself.

"Sorry." She said, shaking her head. "But we can't go to the police. It's all too complicated. If we go to the police, I'd have to admit to three burglaries, handling stolen goods and I'd be under suspicion about a stabbing. Nathan wouldn't keep quiet if he found out I'd grassed. I told them at the hospital that I was Stacey Slater."

"Katy!" Ronnie said in horror, covering her mouth with her hands. "Why?"

"Because if I'd told them who I really was it would have looked really bad for me, involvement in a stabbing as well as being a suspect in Mrs Wilson's death. I panicked. Stacey's was the first name I thought of."

"OK, so we don't say anything." Ronnie said after taking a deep breath and thinking for a moment. "Where's the bag now?"

"Under the stairs at Dot's house." Katy said wincing.

"What?"

"I panicked!" Katy said defending herself. "I figured that no one would think of looking for drugs and a gun at Dot and Jim's."

"Right, so we need to get that bag back and get rid of it once and for all." Ronnie said in her most business like tone, nodding at her teenage sister. "I think Connor has some explaining to do."


	60. Chapter 60

_**Thank you SO much for all your comments! I'll want your opinions soon about where to take the story next; I'll let you know what about in the next post :) **_

_**Oh, and AlexGinny1, I was thinking along the pregnancy lines, but I'd never thought of involving Peter before! What do people think about that idea? Comment and let me know :)**_

"Whit?" Katy hammered on her best friend's front door. Why wasn't anyone answering? Ronnie had taken James round to Dot and Jim's so that she could try and get the bag back from the cupboard under the stairs. Katy had told her exactly where it was and she was hoping that her sister would be able to retrieve it easily.

"Katy?" Carol said wearily, opening the door to the Butchers' house. The teenager was surprised to see the older woman there, but smiled without commenting. Carol was obviously taken aback by the bruising on Katy's face, but didn't make any comment either.

"Hi, Carol," she said urgently, "I really need to see Whit if she's around."

"She's not here." Carol said sharply, pulling her cardigan tightly around her. She stepped backwards, starting to close the door. Panicking, Katy stuck her foot in the way, preventing her from closing it.

"I don't suppose _you've_ seen Connor, have you?" She asked flustered. Carol stared at her in shock, taking in the wide, scared eyes and nervous shifting from foot to foot. Katy saw the older woman's eyes raking over her bruised face again.

"Why?" She demanded, almost angrily. Katy looked at her nervously.

"I need to ask him something… I leant him… some money. I need it back." She lied.

"Well he's in hospital. You won't be getting it back anytime soon." Carol said firmly and closed the door on the teenager.

Katy leant against the pillar that marked the entrance to the Butchers' house. She kicked it and swore, leaning her head against the stone work. Then she saw Ronnie coming out of Dot and Jim's without James, but with the blue, drawstring bag. Katy ran across the square towards her.

"Where's James?" She asked confused.

"Dot's looking after him. I thought it would be nice for him to spend some time with his Grandma and Granddad." Ronnie said looking around.

"Connor's in hospital." Katy said quickly. Her sister nodded.

"I know, Dot told me." Ronnie said.

"How did Dot know?"

"Dot knows everything." Her sister replied with a shrug. "So shall we go over there?"

The teenager hesitated, not knowing what to do for the best. She wanted the whole situation to be over and done with. But now she had dragged her sister into it, the person that she loved and respected above almost everyone else. Her sister, who had a baby son and a husband who couldn't stand the sight of Katy and would probably never be the same with her again. Glenda had been right; she had messed everything up and she was going to lose everything.

"I don't want you to come." Katy said bluntly. She pulled the bag out of Ronnie's hands and walked away, leaving her sister staring after her, a mixture of confusion and anger on her face.

"KATY!" Ronnie shouted after her. When the teenager didn't stop or look back, Ronnie ran, grabbing her sister by the shoulder and forcing her to turn. "Why?"

"Because this is all my fault. I don't want you to get involved. You've got Jack and James to think about."

"And I have you to think about too, sweetie." Ronnie said, squeezing her sister's hand. "After Danielle… I never thought I'd get a second chance and then you came along."

Katy backed away, horrified. "Don't compare Danielle to me." She said seriously. "She was worth ten of me, Ron, and you know it. She'd never drag you into something like this."

"No, she wouldn't." Ronnie agreed, moving closer to her sister. "But that doesn't mean I can't think or feel the same way about you as I did about her." She enveloped the teenager in a deep hug, holding onto her tightly as though she would never let go. It had started to rain slightly, but the sisters stood in the road ignoring it. They broke apart and began walking towards the tube station, Ronnie's arm linked through Katy's. "When you arrived… Roxy and I both knew that there was something about you. We felt connected to you immediately."

"I did notice all the strange looks." Katy said grinning. "Neither of you are half as sly as you think."

"Oi!" Ronnie said smiling. "There was just something about you. The first time I saw you, you were working on Ian's stall and I was arguing with mum about something." Ronnie hesitated, biting her lip as though she was in dispute with herself whether to continue.

"What?" Katy asked gently, nudging the blonde woman to continue. She was desperate to hear what Ronnie was about to say.

"I had a massive urge to just hug you. It was crazy, I'd never seen you before in my life, but as I walked past the stall I saw you and felt this massive jolt in the pit of my stomach…"

"Are you trying to say my face made you feel sick?" Katy asked, grinning. Her sister punched her lightly.

"Stop it." Ronnie said exasperatedly. Katy didn't seem to be able to take anything seriously when it involved feelings. "No… it was more like the feeling I get when I hold James; a maternal feeling."

"What do you mean?" Katy asked, totally serious now. She stopped walking and turned to face Ronnie.

"I don't know." The blonde woman said shrugging. "I thought, at first, maybe Danielle had been lying about who she was after all. I thought maybe YOU were my Amy. But you're too young. When Auntie Peggy told me… I flew off the handle because the idea of you being actually related to me made me think that maybe I was right. Maybe I've been grieving for a daughter who was alive and well after all. Then Roxy showed me your birth certificate… But then I started thinking, birth certificates can be easily forged and you seem older than eighteen."

"Ronnie… this is crazy." Katy said shaking her head. What Ronnie was saying was making the teenager confused. She felt hot tears springing to her eyes as she thought about it. She was convinced that it wasn't true, but she half wanted to play along with it. She could fool herself into thinking that she was Ronnie's daughter, no problem. But it wasn't right. It wouldn't be good for her sister or herself.

"You're right." Ronnie said, wiping her eyes. Her tone was a lot harder and she didn't look at Katy as she started walking again. "Let's get to the hospital and sort this out. Then we can go home and get back to normal."


	61. Chapter 61

_**Ok, I need some help guys. I don't know whether to make Katy Ronnie's real daughter or not? **_

_**On the one hand, I think Katy is so similar to Ronnie that it would work well. I didn't really like Danielle because, even though I know she wasn't brought up as one, she didn't act anything like a Mitchell and she didn't seem to fit into the family at all, whereas Katy does. In my opinion anyway. And it would mean something good happening to Ronnie (and Katy) for once!**_

_**On the other hand I'm worried that maybe making Katy the 'real' Amy is a bit cheesy and might change things between her and Ronnie. It would open up a whole new area to cover though, especially if Katy was pregnant. **_

_**What do you think? I really need your opinions! The 'reveal' wouldn't be for a while, because I'm already further ahead with the story, but please tell me what you think because I need your help with this decision! :) **_

"Are you sure you want to come in with me?" Katy asked Ronnie as they stood outside the door to the private room where Connor was being treated. The older woman nodded, but said nothing. Katy had the strange feeling that Ronnie was annoyed at her for not taking her theory seriously.

The teenager pushed the door open, took a deep breath and walked inside. She had spent too much time in hospitals recently. Inside, Connor was hooked up to several machines and had a clean white bandage around his head. He appeared to be asleep.

Unsure of what to do, Katy glanced at her sister. Ronnie looked back blankly for a couple of seconds before striding towards the man on the bed and shaking him roughly. Katy was alarmed at the ferocity that her sister was displaying and glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one had seen.

"Wh.. what?" Connor said blearily, looking around. His eyes settled on the bag clutched in Katy's hands.

"Just what I wanted to ask you." Ronnie said in a threatening voice. She crouched down so that she was looking directly into his eyes and said in a lower voice. "You come near Katy again and you will be very sorry, d'you hear me?" Connor nodded, his eyes widening. Katy was impressed that her sister had managed to scare him. "We're going to get rid of this stuff and if we hear any more about it, it won't just be your head in a bandage. Understand?" She looked at him for a moment, before she turned and nodded to Katy to leave. The teenager could see why Connor had been wary. Ronnie was terrifying.

Outside in the corridor, Ronnie turned to her sister. She had relaxed slightly, but Katy still didn't want to do anything that might annoy her. In a low voice she ordered the teenager to dump the contents of the bag in the first bin she saw outside.

"There aren't any fingerprints on anything, are there?" She asked. Katy shook her head.

"I made sure I wiped them properly." She promised.

"Good, let's go." Ronnie led the way out of the hospital. Katy started to walk towards a large bin, but Ronnie grabbed her arm and shook her head towards a security camera. "Wait."

The pair kept walking until they found a bin that wasn't in view of any cameras. Carefully Katy tipped the contents of the drawstring bag into the large bin and stuffed the bag itself into Ronnie's handbag. Then the teenager moved several large pieces of cardboard to make sure that the things were properly hidden.

"It's over." Ronnie said, with a confident air of finality. "That's it."

x

Later that evening, Katy watched Ronnie carefully as she sat curled up on the sofa with Jack. He still hadn't said anything to his sister-in-law, but Katy wasn't going to push him. The fact that he hadn't kicked her out again was enough.

The blonde woman was staring fixedly at the television, but her sister was sure she wasn't actually watching it, because it was some kind of documentary about a footballer that Jack had wanted to watch. Katy imagined that she could see the cogs whirring in Ronnie's mind and found herself wishing she knew what the older woman was thinking about.

The teenager was scared that she'd ruined things. What Ronnie had said, about thinking that maybe Katy was the real Amy and that Danielle had been lying, was going round and round in Katy's mind. Although she had automatically dismissed the idea, she was starting to wonder whether it was possible. She was small for her age and always had been, but people used to comment that she had an 'old face', whatever that meant. She didn't remember much of her early childhood, only the odd bad occasion.

Ronnie glanced up and caught the teenager's eye, giving her a weak, but meaningful, smile. Katy had been worried that after the conversation earlier their relationship would have suffered, or even crumbled. But, although things were a little strained between them, after that smile Katy was sure everything would be alright.

She pushed Ronnie's theory to the back of her mind. They would never know the truth anyway; it had died with Archie and Karen. Katy was happy just being Ronnie and Roxy's sister. She was the third Mitchell sister.

James started to cry and Katy jumped to her feet. "I'll get him." She said with a smile. Jack looked as though he was about to say something to stop her, but Ronnie smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, sweetie."

The teenager knew that she was going to have to work very hard to regain her brother-in-law's trust but, as long as she had Ronnie and Roxy's, it didn't bother her that Jack wasn't her number one fan. Carefully she handed her nephew to his mother and sat back down in her chair.

"Ummm… I think it's time you went to bed." Ronnie said raising an eyebrow. "You've got school in the morning."

"Oh, but Ron? You said I could have a week off yesterday." Katy moaned.

"Fine," Ronnie said with a sigh, remembering her promise, "but I don't want you moping around the flat all day feeling sorry for yourself. You can make yourself useful in the club." The blonde woman conceded. Katy was going to complain, but she saw her sister meant what she'd said and sighed.

She got up and went to her bedroom. "Night, Ron, Jack." She said. Her sister smiled back and prodded her husband who wished her a grudging goodnight.


	62. Chapter 62

Neither Ronnie nor Katy brought up the subject they'd discussed on the way to the hospital over the next few days. Roxy noticed that things were a little tense between her sisters, but didn't say anything and the tension soon eased and things got back to normal.

Glenda had had plenty to say on the matter of Katy's bruises. None of the sisters had told her what had happened; no one apart from the three of them knew where Katy had been and what had happened to her. Ronnie and Roxy's mum had plenty of theories though.

"Did you get mugged?" Glenda asked with a smug smirk on her face. Katy was sitting at the kitchen table in the flat Roxy had just moved into with her mother. Katy ignored her and took a sip from her mug of tea. "Oh, maybe you were doing the mugging. I wouldn't put it past you. You seem just the type to mug a harmless old lady or two."

"She didn't mug anyone." Roxy shouted from her new bedroom.

"So what did happen, Roxanne?" Glenda called back to her daughter, feigning concern and knowing that Roxy was more likely to tell her than Katy. "I just want to be able to help."

"I'm not telling you, mum." Roxy shouted back. "It's Katy's business, not yours."

"Fine, fine!" Glenda said, pretending to be hurt. She held her hands up and leant against the kitchen counters, the palms of her hands flat against the surface. She fixed Katy with a suspicious, unwavering glare. The teenager resolutely looked at the liquid in her mug.

"Stop it!" She snapped, finally. "I'm not going to tell you."

"Well, whatever happened, I said something would happen to you and I was right." Glenda said with another little smirk.

"Are you trying to take credit for the fact I'm covered in bruises and have a black eye?" Katy asked, amused despite the situation. "I doubt you could bruise fruit."

Glenda fumed as Roxy came into the room, meaning that Katy got the last word, once again. The teenager smirked at her and looked back at her mug. Glenda turned her attention to her daughter, who was all dressed up. Katy was slightly confused; she had thought that Christian was coming round to talk to Roxy about their 'let's give Christian and Syed a baby' plan. But that wouldn't explain why her sister had gone to so much effort.

"You going out, then?" Katy asked as Roxy took a sneaky gulp of tea out of her sister's mug. Roxy shook her head, unable to speak until she swallowed her mouthful.

"No, Christian's coming round in a bit, isn't he?" Roxy said with a smile. "So you both need to go." She kissed her sister on the top of her head and propelled her to the top of the stairs.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Katy laughed. "See you tomorrow. Good luck, yeah?"

As she crossed the square, the teenager passed her sister's best friend heading towards her flat. Katy wolf whistled at him and Christian laughed and winked at her. She shook her head and made her way slowly towards home, thinking. She had thought she'd seen something in Roxy that she hadn't expected, but hoped she was wrong. Her sister couldn't have fallen in love with her gay best friend, surely.

Then again, it was Roxy. Anything was possible.

She shook her head again and pulled out her mobile which had just beeped. _'Are you OK? Why haven't you been at school? L x'_ Katy considered her reply carefully.

'_I had flu. Feeling a lot better now, but Ron's kept me off for the rest of the week to be sure. I'm back tomorrow. What've I missed? K x'_

Lauren's reply was almost instant. _'Whit's moved out. Connor was seeing her AND Carol. She stayed at ours last night, but dad wouldn't let her stay anymore… she just texted me that she's at Janine's :/'_

Katy pulled a face at her phone as she read the message. She was glad no one but her sisters knew about her and Connor. She planned to keep it that way. The idea of Whitney staying with Janine made her blood run cold. Katy had learnt enough about the woman to know that she was bad news and Whitney was easily led.

The teenager would have asked if Whitney could stay with them until she sorted things out with her family, but she knew Jack wasn't keen on even her being there. Convincing him that letting her best friend stay was a good idea would be even more difficult.

'_Uh oh. Hopefully she'll be OK… we'll have to keep an eye out, yeah?'_

Katy slipped her mobile back into her pocket as she let herself quietly into the flat, not wanting to wake James if he was sleeping. Ronnie was stretched out on the sofa and Jack was obviously out. Gently, Katy lifted Ronnie's arm, so that she could curl up next to her. Sleepily the older woman snuggled closer and kissed the teenager on the forehead.

"Alright, sweetie. How was Rox?" She said in a drowsy voice, not opening her eyes.

"Getting too excited about having Christian's baby." Katy said with a sigh. "You don't think she's fallen in love with him, do you? She's not doing this because she wants to have his baby, not because she wants to help him and Syed?"

"Don't be silly." Ronnie said with a little laugh. "Roxy may have a brain made of fluff, but she's not delusional."

Katy wasn't entirely convinced, but she said nothing else and snuggled closer to her sister. Tomorrow was Monday and she was supposed to be going back to school. Soon both of them had fallen asleep. When Jack came in about ten minutes later, he didn't have the heart to wake them. He pulled a blanket over them and smiled fondly, despite everything that had happened.


	63. Chapter 63

"Oi!"

Katy rubbed her eyes and yawned, rolling over and promptly falling off the sofa. She groaned and dragged herself up into a seated position. Ronnie was still half asleep and had shuffled so that she was filling the space where the teenager had just been.

"OI!" Roxy repeated, this time louder.

"What?" Katy asked in a croaky voice. She yawned again and stretched, pushing back against the sofa. The movement jolted Ronnie, who sat up suddenly, looking around.

"What time is it?" She murmured sleepily. In her dozy state, she could easily have been not much older than Katy. Her hair was half falling out of the ponytail it had been neatly tied back in the night before and her mascara was smudged down her cheeks. She rubbed her eyes, making it worse.

"Half ten." Roxy said, making a mug of tea and two coffees. Ronnie stared at her for a moment as though she thought Roxy was joking and then leapt towards her bedroom, kicking Katy as she went.

"Sorry sweetie." She called, disappearing with a bang of the door. The teenager nodded and accepted the tea she was being handed. She took a large gulp of the drink, regretting it almost immediately as the scolding liquid burnt her mouth and made her eyes water. Roxy laughed.

"Slow down." She sat on the sofa and her sister leant against her legs. Absentmindedly Roxy began stroking Katy's hair. "Weren't you supposed to be going back to school today?"

Katy nodded. "Hopefully Ron's forgotten, though." She said grinning up at the blonde.

"Ron hasn't forgotten, so get in the shower." Ronnie shouted from her en-suite. Her younger sisters rolled their eyes. It was amazing how the oldest sister could hear them speaking, even over the hissing of the shower.

The teenager got to her feet and ruffled Roxy's hair annoyingly. She made her way to the bathroom, dodging her sister's hand as it aimed to smack her on the leg. They both grinned and then Katy closed the door. She showered quickly, feeling the hot water falling like needles onto her skin.

When she was finished, she stared into the mirror for a while. The bruising was fading now to brown. It was still noticeable, but Katy hoped with a little makeup it wouldn't be too bad. She left her hair down, something that was unusual for her, in the hope that it might help to disguise her injuries.

"Alright, sweetie." Ronnie said, kissing her forehead as she came back into the living room, dressed and ready for school. "You can hardly see your bruises, don't worry. Rox is going to drive you in because Mr Alcock wanted to speak to us about you missing so much school. I need to get to the club and Jack has James, so everything's fine."

"I haven't missed that much, have I?" Katy asked, thinking hard.

"You went back to school for a week after the holidays and then missed two." Ronnie said gently. "I'll be alright. We'll just stick to the flu story."

The teenager nodded, trying to work out how so much time could have passed without her noticing. Then she remembered something a specialist had told her once. Sometimes after a traumatic experience people block out the memory, which causes them to only remember certain things. Katy guessed that this was what she was doing.

"Come on, trouble." Roxy said, putting her arm casually over her sister's shoulder and pushing her out of the flat. "Let's get this over and done with, eh?"

x

"It's nice to see you again, Ms Mitchell." Mr Alcock said, holding out his hand which Roxy shook firmly. Katy grinned as Roxy sat down without returning the compliment. "How are you feeling, Katy?" He asked, slightly hesitantly.

"A lot better, thanks." Katy said with a shrug. "I still don't feel completely better, though."

"No, no…" Mr Alcock said, looking curiously at her face. He didn't comment, but gave her a strange look. "Well, thank you for coming in, Ms Mitchell."

He stood up and indicated that Roxy should leave. It was her turn to look taken aback now, as she had practically just sat down. Nevertheless she stood up, squeezed her sister's shoulder reassuringly and left the office. When she had gone, Mr Alcock returned to his chair and leant his elbows on the desk, looking at Katy seriously. She squirmed in her chair, feeling uncomfortable.

"Katy…" he said in a quiet voice. "Is there anything you want to tell me, about the time you had off?"

Katy shook her head. "No, not really. I was ill." The headmaster paused for a moment, as though choosing his words carefully. He had had a lot of experience of the Mitchells in his years at Walford High and knew that it was better to tread carefully where they were concerned. He remembered his last run-in with Mr Phil Mitchell clearly.

"The marks on your face… how did you come by those?" He asked cautiously.

"These? Oh, I tripped over one of my nieces toys and fell down the stairs at Roxy's new flat." Katy lied quickly with a weak smile. "I'm so clumsy, I'm always falling over."

"Are you sure, Katy? Whatever you tell us about your home life stays confidential unless you want it made public."

The teenager started to laugh. "Do you think my sister's been hitting me? Which one; Ronnie or Rox? Or was it my ex-copper brother-in-law that you suspected?"

"No, of course not," Mr Alcock said quickly, trying to retract his words, "I just meant…"

"Oh!" Katy nodded meaningfully, the same smirk playing about her lips. "You think it was my cousin Phil? He's a bit handy with his fists, right? And then there's little Ben, he was done for GBH, so maybe he's been hitting me?"

"Well, if you're sure everything's alright… you can go back to class." The headmaster said flustered. He was eager to get the teenager out of his office as quickly as possible. He was also eager that news of this conversation didn't make it back to the rest of the Mitchells. "We'll say no more on the subject."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything." Katy said with a grin, realising that Mr Alcock wouldn't want anyone hearing about this conversation. She picked up her bag and left the office, holding her head high.

There wasn't long left of the lesson before lunch, so Katy went straight to the common room. She received several strange looks from other students as she slouched in an armchair and flicked through a magazine, waiting for Lauren to arrive. There were only about ten other students in the common room and no one said anything to her, so Katy had time to compose herself before the bell rang and the room quickly became packed.

"What the hell happened to your face?" Lauren demanded, without even greeting her friend first.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Katy said, shaking her head. "But I just totally freaked Alcock out… he now reckons that I think he accused my entire family of beating me up." She grinned. Lauren was still looking at her oddly and the teenager sighed. "They haven't been beating me up. I just got into a spot of bother with some dodgy people I used to know, that's all. It's done with now and I'm completely fine."

"So you weren't ill at all?"

"Nope. I was living in Balham for the first week, because Jack kicked me out. Then Ron kept me off school last week because of my face looking like a punch bag." She grinned. "But that's done and everything's going back to normal, starting with Geography and History this afternoon." She pulled a face and Lauren laughed.

"It's been boring without you around." Her friend said with a smile.

"I could have told you that before I went." Katy joked.


	64. Chapter 64

"Do you think we should say something to Whit?" Lauren asked as the two girls walked home from school that afternoon. They were later than usual as they'd stayed in the common room chatting with some friends until their head of year had thrown them out.

"What about living with Janine?" Katy asked, checking they were talking about the same thing. Lauren nodded. "I dunno… you know what she's like… if she thinks we're trying to stop her doing what she wants she'll just shut us out."

"I suppose… but what if something bad happens?"

Katy shrugged. Whitney was a big girl. "We just have to make sure she knows that we're here if she needs us."

They'd reached the square by now and were standing on the corner by the Vic. No sooner had the words left her mouth, than Katy spotted her friend walking towards the café with Janine. She grinned but Whitney looked away. Either she hadn't seen them or she was pretending she hadn't.

"I told you," Lauren said, starting to walk towards her house, "bad news."

Katy nodded and waved and then made her way towards the flat. She didn't know if anyone would be in or not, but her teachers had given her a lot of work to do to catch up over the last two weeks. That was just History and Geography. She was sure that tomorrow her English and Politics teachers would do the same thing.

"Hello?" She shouted, letting herself into the flat. There was no answer and she couldn't hear anything, so she dumped her school bag on the kitchen table and put the kettle on, needing a cup of tea before she even contemplated starting on the work.

The teenager pulled out her books and turned on the laptop. Mrs Kelley, one of her History teachers had given her an essay to write about the significance of the Battle of Bosworth. She sighed and typed the question directly into Google, copying and pasting certain facts that she could use later.

She had just started to get interested the essay when she heard the front door open and Ronnie bang her way in, pushing James in front of her. Katy sighed and looked up from her books.

"Katy? Are you in, sweetie?" Ronnie called, looking in the opposite direction to where her sister was watching, slightly amused.

"I'm right here." The teenager said with a grin. "What's up?"

"I need you to watch James. Jack's at the car lot and I need to take Shirley into hospital. Phil's had a heart attack." Ronnie said, grabbing some things and putting a bottle ready for Katy to make up. "He'll need his feed in about half an hour, OK?"

"Yeah, course." Katy said, standing up. "He's alright to stay in his pram though, 'cause I kinda have loads of work to get through."

"Course, course." Ronnie said hurriedly giving her sister a peck on the cheek and heading out of the flat. "Don't forget, half an hour."

Katy sighed and pushed James' pram over to the kitchen table so that she could keep an eye on him as she worked. She stared at the word document on the screen of the laptop. _'The greatest significance of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 was that it allowed Henry Tudor to defeat King Richard III and therefore began the Tudor Dynasty.'_ She read the first sentence over and over again, not even taking in the rest of the paragraph she had written. Instead of continuing she looked down at her sleeping nephew.

"You'd better be clever, little man." She said gently stroking his little cheeks. He yawned and stretched but didn't wake up at the sound of her voice. "Your mummy will have her tickets to visit you at University booked before you know it."

She watched him until the alarm she'd set on her mobile went off and she made up the formula Ronnie had left out on the side. Carefully she lifted James out of the pram and fed him his bottle. His big blue eyes looked up at her as he drank the milk greedily. Katy laughed at how hungry he was.

"You're just like your Auntie Roxy." She joked quietly, stroking his fingers. "She loves her food too."

"Oi!" Her sister said. Typically she had entered the flat just in time to here Katy's words. "I'm not greedy, little man, am I?"

Katy laughed and passed the now full baby over to his older aunt and went to the sink to wash out the bottle. She watched as Roxy burped her nephew, wondering how she could seem so responsible some of the time and yet be one of the stupidest people her younger sister had ever met the rest of the time. It was obviously a talent.

"Have you heard any more about Phil?" Katy asked, putting the clean bottle on the side next to the steriliser. Roxy shook her head.

"Not much. Just that he's stable and Ronnie will be back soon. She asked me to pop in and…"

"Check up on me?" Katy asked defensively, raising her eyebrows.

"No." Roxy said shaking her head and smiling. "Calm down. Ron asked me to pop in and see if you wanted me to take James so you could do your work. I would have had him straight away, but I was at the Salon. If you want I can take him with me to fetch Amy."

"Sorry…" Katy shook her head. "Umm… no, it's cool. I've got a bit of a mind block on anyway, so I'll probably give up for a while and watch TV."

"Alright." Roxy perched on the arm of the sofa and waited until Katy had chosen a channel and made sure she was completely comfortable before handing the baby back to her. "By the way, did you know that Ben was being bullied?"

"What? No. I'll keep an eye on him though." Katy said with a nod.

"Thanks, babe. I'd better go." Roxy said, squeezing her shoulder. She stood and turned, moving towards the door of the flat. "Oh, I forgot to tell you… I did it, last night."

"Did what?" Katy asked in confusion, turning her head as far as she could to look at her sister.

"Tried for Christian's baby." She grinned broadly.

"Have you told Ron yet?"

"Nope. I'll tell her later." Roxy said, still grinning and left, shutting the door loudly behind her. Katy sighed loudly and looked down at James. He blinked up at her opening his mouth.

"I know." Katy nodded at him. "I don't think this is going to end well either."


	65. Chapter 65

"White rabbits and all that jazz." Katy said with a grin, sliding into a chair at the table a couple of mornings later.

"Eh?" Ronnie said, passing her a plate of toast.

"Mam used… well… when she remembered Mam used to say white rabbits three times on the first of the month. Apparently it's good luck if it's the first thing you say on the first day." She shrugged. "I don't know if it works or not, but I'd rather try it out and see."

"Worth a try, I suppose." Ronnie said shaking her head in amusement and sitting opposite the teenager who had just crammed most of a slice of toast into her mouth at once. "What lessons have you got today?"

Katy mumbled something indistinguishable through her mouthful and started coughing. The blonde woman rolled her eyes and bashed her sister on the back.

"Sorry." She spluttered, taking a mouthful of apple juice. Ronnie rolled her eyes and said nothing. "I've got double History before break, English Lit and Politics after and then a double free this afternoon, so I might come home at lunch."

"Are you allowed?" Ronnie asked, sipping her coffee. Now it was Katy's turn to roll her eyes.

"Of course. Lauren's got a double free too, so I might go straight over to hers if that's OK? We've got an English project due in on Friday."

"Sure." Ronnie said. "But make sure you're back for dinner, Mum's coming round." Katy threw her head back and pulled a face at the ceiling. "Stop it, Katy. She's not that bad."

"Whatever you say." The teenager answered raising an eyebrow and getting up from the table. She quickly washed up her plate and left it in the drying rack on the side.

"What about your glass?" Ronnie asked as Katy started to walk out of the kitchen. The teenager stuck her tongue out at the blonde woman, drained the juice and rinsed the glass. "Well done, we'll have you house trained before you know it." She teased, ruffling Katy's hair and giving her a slap on the bum.

"Go away, mum." Katy said taking the mick out of her sister. She shut herself in her bedroom and starting putting on her makeup. As she was outlining her eyes with her eyeliner, she stopped, staring at her face in the mirror. Maybe she shouldn't have called Ronnie 'mum'. She'd completely forgotten about the conversation they'd had on the way to the hospital, but somehow she doubted Ronnie had.

After debating with herself for a while, Katy decided to act as though the word had never slipped out of her mouth. She finished getting ready and picked up her bag.

"You are NOT wearing that skirt to school." Ronnie said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "I can see your bum."

"No you can't." Katy argued looking down at the denim mini-skirt and leggings she was wearing. "The leggings make sure of that."

"Go and put your jeans on."

"No!"

"Katherine Margaret Mitchell." Ronnie said in a threatening voice. "Unless you want to be in my bad books for the next year, go and get changed this minute."

Katy went and got changed. Ronnie had definitely not forgotten their conversation and obviously thought that her sister was mocking her. Katy sighed and took a deep breath in before she went back into the living room.

"Sorry, Ron. Is this better?" She asked. The older woman surveyed Katy's black skinny jeans and nodded. "See you later, I won't be late. I promise."

Katy kissed her sister on the cheek and escaped out into the square. Lauren was leaning against the wall waiting for her.

"You're late, Mitchell." She said, grinning as Katy jumped down the last couple of steps.

"Sorry, Branning. I think I just sent Ronnie into 'Ice Queen' mode." Katy said, kicking a can as she walked slowly along with her friend.

"What did you do?" Lauren asked jokily, shaking her head and linking her arm through her best friend's.

"Promise you won't tell anyone? It makes Ronnie sound a little insane." Katy confided worriedly.

"I promise." Lauren nodded, sincerely. She was starting to look concerned.

"Well… a while ago Ronnie and I were talking and she said that when she first saw me, before she knew who I was or anything, she had this weird feeling about me, like a maternal feeling. She thought that maybe Danielle had been lying about who she was and I was actually her daughter." Katy said quickly before she lost her nerve. Lauren was looking at her strangely and the Mitchell shook her head. "I told you it made Ronnie sound insane. But then even when she saw my birth certificate she thought maybe it was forged to cover the truth."

There was a long pause before Lauren spoke. "How has this annoyed Ronnie this morning?"

"Because we were messing around and I called her mum. Just like joking, but then she got really angry at me and made me go and change my clothes." Katy told her with a sigh.

"Maybe she is your mum." Lauren said casually with a shrug. "I mean, she acts more like your mum than your sister, right. Roxy always acts more like a sister. You look a lot like her and sometimes you do or say things exactly like she would."

"Oh don't start, Lauren." Katy snapped, assuming her friend was mocking her. "I'm not her daughter."

"Hey!" Lauren held up her hands, indicating that she wasn't going to argue. "I was just giving you my opinion. You don't have to listen to it, but you're gonna have to watch what you say around her."

"Ohhhh, I know." Katy groaned. "I don't need this stress today… not when we've got double History with Perry and then English with Alton to deal with."


	66. Chapter 66

"Earth to Mitchell." Mr Perry said, leaning on Katy's desk and speaking directly into her face. The teenager had been daydreaming with her chin resting in her cupped hands. She jumped backwards as she realised the man was inches from her face.

"What?" She asked weakly, leaning backwards away from him.

"I asked what you thought Rosa Parks hoped to achieve by protesting on that bus." He sighed. "You do realise that you are currently in your AS Level History lesson and we are trying to ascertain whether the Civil Rights movement had any influence on the breakup of the US Society in the 1970's. I'm not doing this for my own amusement, Miss Mitchell, I'm doing this because it will be beneficial to you when you write your coursework."

"Sorry, sir." Katy said grudgingly.

"So? What's your answer?" The teacher asked exasperatedly.

"Well, obviously she was hoping to achieve equality between the races. And it worked, didn't it, because her actions got the attention of loads of people and brought the cause of Civil Rights and discrimination to the minds of the public." Katy answered nonchalantly. The teacher stared at her and then sighed.

"I've had enough of you Mitchells. Waltzing around thinking you own the place." Katy stared at him in confusion. "But you're the worst; you've got a brain. Jay and Zsa Zsa weren't much trouble; they didn't stick at it anyway."

"Technically Zsa's a Carter, not a Mitchell." Katy said, finding the teacher's rant amusing.

He ignored her and carried on. "And Ben's not much trouble; he tends to keep his head down. But you…" he was bright red by now, "you are devious."

"Did I get the answer wrong, then?" Katy asked, pulling a face. Her classmates started laughing.

"That is not the point!" Perry shouted over his students laughter. That only made them laugh harder. "Mr Alcock's office, now, Mitchell!"

Trying hard not to laugh, Katy stood up and gathered her things. She winked at Lauren who was covering her mouth to try and stop giggling and left the classroom. She knew she should be angry, or at least annoyed by the situation, but it was well known that Mr Perry didn't like the Mitchells, Katy especially, because they stood up for themselves and had an answer for everything.

"What have you done now, Katy?" Mr Alcock asked, almost in despair, as he saw the teenager sitting calmly in the reception area flicking through a prospectus.

"Nothing, sir." Katy said shrugging. "Mr Perry asked me a question and then went mental because I gave him the right answer. He started going on about how us Mitchells waltz around like we own the place and that I'm the worst because I'm clever." Mr Alcock's face went pale at her words. Obviously he thought, just as he had before, that Katy was going to pass on the insult to the rest of her family.

"Well… you obviously don't need to be here, Katy. What lesson do you have next?"

"History with Mr Perry… it was a double lesson." The girl said with a sigh.

"Right… well I'll go and see what work you should be doing and you can do it here." The headmaster said, thinking quickly.

"Here? Wouldn't the library be better, sir?" Katy asked, raising her eyebrows. The man was flustered.

"Oh, yes, of course." He led the way to the History classroom and Katy waited outside while Mr Alcock went inside to talk to the teacher. The teenager pulled a face at Lauren, who rolled her eyes and mimed that she was bored. Katy signalled for her to come outside and the teenager slipped out of her seat while both men were distracted and out into the corridor.

"Alright?" She said with a grin. "Perry's proper got it in for you, ain't he?"

"Yeah!" Katy giggled. "What a loser. What are they on about?"

"Alcock told him that he needs to tone it down a bit or they'll have to consider taking action." Lauren said, trying her best not to giggle. The girls looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Lauren, inside please." Mr Alcock said annoyed as he opened the classroom door. The younger girl did as she was told and winked at her friend behind the headmaster's back. "Mr Perry thinks that it would be better if you re-joined the class, Katy. Apparently this isn't a lesson you can do on your own. If there's any more trouble come straight to me, alright?"

"Yes, sir." Katy said with a grin, re-entering the classroom and resuming her usual seat. Mr Perry shot her a look of pure hatred but said nothing else to her for the entire lesson.

Finally the lesson ended and Katy and Lauren retreated to the common room to eat their lunch. They had decided to stay for lunch and afternoon registration before heading back to the Brannings' to do some work.

"Oi!" A boy shouted across the common room. "Mitchell!"

Katy turned to give the boy who'd shouted a feisty glare. "What, Dawson?"

"Heard you had a run in with Perry earlier. He don't like the Mitchells, does he?" Katy just shrugged and turned around. "I dunno why 'cause they're pretty nice from where I'm looking."

"If that's your idea of a chat up line, you'd better hurry up and find a way of getting rich." Katy snapped, making the rest of the common room laugh loudly at the boy. He stood up, angrily and so did the girl. "Yeah, what you gonna do?"

"I'd give you a slap, but it looks like you've already had a few. Who was it? I wanna congratulate them."

Katy stepped towards him, ready for a fight but Lauren grabbed her arm and pulled her back into her seat. "Alcock." She muttered, looking through the door and along the corridor to where the headmaster was walking towards the common room. Grudgingly, Katy shot Dawson an aggressive glare and turned her back on him, slouching in her seat.

"Katy Mitchell?" The man said, poking his head around the door. His eyes searched the crowd of students for the girl and then he smiled. "Can I see you in my office straight after registration? Thanks."

"You're really not having a good day, are you?" Lauren said sympathetically as her friend groaned and slouched further down in the chair.

"Can't I just go back to bed and pretend today hasn't happened yet?" Katy moaned.

"I don't think that's an option babe. Don't worry; I'll wait outside for you. If you need me, scream."


	67. Chapter 67

Reluctantly Katy knocked on the headmaster's door forty minutes later and waited until she was admitted. Lauren shot her reassuring looks from her seat until the older girl disappeared inside.

"Ron?" Katy was surprised to see her elder sister sitting in a chair in front of Mr Alcock's desk.

"Sit down, Katy." The man said with a smile. Ronnie looked at her too and the teenager, thoroughly confused, sat down next to her. She was a little bit wary of what her sister was doing here and how she would react to whatever Mr Alcock was about to say.

"Mr Alcock's been telling me all about your History lesson."

"I didn't do anything, Ron. I swear." Katy protested before either of the others could say anything else. "It was all him, Mr Perry."

"Sit, Katy." Ronnie said, almost in a growl. The teenager had jumped to her feet in protest. "You haven't heard what Mr Alcock was going to say."

"Sorry." Katy said quiety, resuming her position in the chair. She was wary of Ronnie's mood. The teenager had seen her sister annoyed and she'd seen her angry, but the way Ronnie looked at the moment didn't fit into either category. The headmaster seemed to have noticed the girl's unease as well, because he shot them both a peculiar look.

"Now, Katy." He said in a calm voice. "I've had a word with Mr Perry and warned him that his behaviour is bordering on victimisation–"

"Bordering?" Katy said with a snort. Ronnie looked at her furiously and the teenager closed her mouth and sank lower into her seat.

"Yes, Katy, bordering. Now, you have three options; drop the subject all together, swap into another group, or continue as you are. Your sister," he indicated towards Ronnie, as though Katy wouldn't know who he meant, "seems to think that you should swap groups. What do you think?"

"I'm staying where I am." Katy said defensively. "I'm not going to let him drive me out of my lessons. I can deal with what he says, it's only words."

The teenager thought she caught sight of Ronnie smirking, but when she looked properly her sister had the same, determined expression on her face as before. Katy felt like tears were about to spring into her eyes, but she stopped them and stared in front of her instead.

"If you're sure? Any more problems come straight to me, as I said before." The headmaster stood up, smiling at Ronnie who shot him a brief, cold smile in return and turned to leave. "If there's every anything you want to talk about, Katy, don't be afraid to knock on my door at any time." He said meaningfully. Katy furrowed her brow, confused at what he meant. Mr Alcock looked meaningfully at Ronnie and then pointed at Katy and then at his eye. Suddenly the teenager realised that he was signalling that he thought Ronnie was the one who'd given her the bruises.

"Oh, no…" Katy said flustered.

"Come on, Katy." Ronnie snapped. "I've got to get back to pick up James from Dot's. If you and Lauren want a lift you'll have to hurry up."

Katy shot her headmaster a look that she hoped he'd realise meant that he was wrong about his suspicions and turned to follow her sister. Lauren shot her a concerned look, but Katy just shook her head and mouthed 'I'll tell you later'.

x

"Back by half five at the latest." Ronnie said coolly as the teenagers climbed out of Roxy's car. "Mum's cooking dinner for us."

Katy was about to make a sarcastic comment at this information but seeing the look on her sister's face she thought better of it. Instead she just gave Ronnie and weak smile and a nod.

"I see what you mean." Lauren said when they were safely barricaded in her bedroom with drinks and snacks a little while later. "She really has retreated into 'Ice Queen' mode."

"I know." Katy sighed, jamming a handful of Malteasers into her mouth.

"And you think it's because you called her mum?"

Katy shrugged, still chomping on the chocolate. She swallowed, making the sweets scratch her throat. Quickly she took a mouthful of squash to stop herself choking.

"I don't know." She sighed. "Maybe it…" She stopped trying to work out what else she could blame Ronnie's mood swing on. "Nah, it probably was my fault. Most things are."

She thought back to Glenda's drunken words which still haunted her. _'Sooner or later I'll get my girls back to myself and you'll be out of here.'_ Every time something like this happened, Katy was scared that Ronnie and Roxy's mum might be right.

"Just chill, yeah, Mitchell." Lauren said seriously. "Think about it, James is a month old. Ronnie was acting all crazy just after he was born, right? Maybe she's got post-natal depression or something."

Katy hesitated. "Jack did suggest that before…"

"Exactly. Uncle Jack's probably right." Lauren shrugged. "You don't have to beat yourself up about everything."


	68. Chapter 68

Katy arrived home early. She didn't want to risk annoying Ronnie any more than she already was. Glenda was in the kitchen, stirring some kind of sauce on the stove. She looked up as Katy entered and wrinkled her nose slightly. The teenager raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"Alright Grandma." She said with a grin, leaning on the counter. "How's it going?"

Glenda glared at the girl and pointed the wooden spoon at her. She narrowed her eyes and leant towards Katy. The teenager looked amused, but was prevented from knowing what Glenda was about to say to her by the flat door opening and her sisters coming in. The older woman retreated back to the stove and smiled warmly at her daughters.

"Hey, mum." Ronnie said, giving her a smile. "Katy, do something to help. Set the table."

Katy knew that her sister had softened slightly towards her, because although her words were sharp, they were accompanied by a light squeeze on her shoulder. As she put out the placemats and the cutlery, Katy didn't speak. Instead she listened to the chatter between the three older women. Apparently the Square had been busy; Darren Miller had ruined Jack and Max's re-launch at the car lot and so Jack had encouraged his brother to sack the boy. Then he'd been dumped by Jodie. Katy felt sorry for Darren. He was a sweet guy and, although she didn't think much of Jodie, she was sorry they'd broken up.

"… so Jack's not coming to dinner. Apparently he and Max are going out for a few drinks with an old friend." Katy tuned into the end of Ronnie's sentence.

"That's a shame, darling, there's more than enough food here for him too." Glenda sounded disappointed that her son-in-law wouldn't be joining them.

"Don't worry; he can have it tomorrow if he wants it."

"It'll just be us Mitchell girls then." Roxy said with a grin, putting one arm around Katy and taking the knives out of her hand. She set them out while the teenager collected glasses from the dishwasher. As she straightened up, she caught sight of Glenda glaring at her. Katy ignored the older woman and returned to her sister's side.

James started crying and Ronnie went to see what the matter was with her son, giving Katy the chance to talk to Roxy quietly. She noticed that Glenda was listening in, but had given up caring.

"Rox… has Ronnie seemed alright to you today?" She asked slowly, trying to phrase her question properly.

"Yeah?" Roxy licked her finger which she had just dipped into the pasta sauce. She swung Amy up onto her hip and swayed slightly. "Why?"

"She's been a bit funny with me since this morning." The blonde shot her a questioning look and Katy sighed before elaborating. "Basically we were messing around and I called her mum. Then she went all weird and made me get changed because she said my skirt was too short, when she's seen me in it a million times before and not made any comment. When she got called in to see Mr Alcock she hardly spoke to me."

"She got called into school?"

"Oh… didn't she tell you?" The teenager's face fell as she realised that she'd just blurted out something that she hadn't needed to. "There was a bit of… trouble… with my History teacher, but it was nothing and it's sorted."

"Don't worry about her." Roxy said reassuringly. She moved closer to the teenager and shifted her daughter into Katy's arms instead. "Can you take her for a minute, she's not feeling very well at the moment and she's being very clingy."

"I'll take her if you want." Glenda said quickly.

"No, you're alright, mum." Roxy said casually, not even turning to look at her. "Katy's got her."

Over her niece's head Katy shot Glenda a smug smirk. The woman narrowed her eyes and Katy knew that she would be plotting her revenge but Katy wasn't bothered. She had bigger fish to fry than Glenda Mitchell.

"It's ready!" Glenda announced several minutes later. Ronnie appeared with James in his carry cot, which she placed on the sofa where she could keep an eye on him. Amy refused to be sat on her own chair, so Katy ate around the little girl.

"You seem quiet, Veronica." Glenda said as they were all tucking into their meal. Ronnie looked up, her fork halfway to her mouth.

"I'm eating." She said bluntly and returned her attention back to the plate in front of her.

"No, not just now, in general. You haven't really seemed yourself all day. Is something bothering you?"

Katy looked at Glenda in astonishment, wondering what on earth the woman was playing at. The teenager soon realised that Glenda was doing her best to drive a wedge between the sisters as she shot Katy a triumphant grin.

"Like what?"

"I don't know… Katy said something about she might have upset you? I'm always telling her she needs to think before she speaks. Sometimes she can say some awful things without even realising."

"What are you talking about, mum?" Ronnie asked, disbelief on her face. "I'm absolutely fine. Katy, can you pass me some garlic bread, sweetie." She added with a smile, as though proving her point.

"It's just that I thought maybe being dragged in to talk to the headmaster again might have upset you." Glenda continued. Ronnie shot Katy a look.

"I didn't tell her!" Katy protested. "I told Rox, she must have been eavesdropping."

"I was just concerned. Education is so important." Glenda said quickly, before Ronnie could say anything. "It's not like you're to blame for Katherine's bad behaviour, she's just a horrible teenager." Glenda tried to make it sound as though she was calling teenagers in general horrible, rather than just the girl herself.

"Are you saying I'm not fit to look after her? That I'm a bad mother?" Ronnie demanded loudly. Glenda stared at her with the expression of a rabbit caught in headlights.

"No, I wasn't questioning your abilities as a mother… with James… just Katy's–"

Ronnie stood up, picked James's carry cot up off the sofa and stormed into her bedroom, closing the door firmly.

"Oh, well done mum." Roxy said, rolling her eyes and getting up to follow her sister.

"Yeah, nice one, Glenda." Katy agreed. She swung Amy onto her hip and traced Roxy's footsteps, leaving Glenda alone at the kitchen table in astonishment.


	69. Chapter 69

The next morning Katy woke early, even before her alarm had gone off. After Ronnie had stormed off, the three sisters had made up and, by the time they'd come out of the bedroom, Glenda had gone.

As she got ready for school, Katy thought about things deeply. Roxy had said the night before that she didn't know why Glenda and Katy liked to wind each other up so much. Ronnie had laughed sardonically at this and informed her younger sister that it was because the two Mitchell women were so similar. At first, Katy had been insulted that Ronnie had compared her to Glenda, but the more she thought about it, the more she realised that it was true, however much she hated to admit it. And she did hate it.

They were both fiercely loyal to Ronnie and Roxy, so much so that it made them clash. The difference was that Glenda, in Katy's opinion anyway, was incredibly selfish. Katy wasn't. She'd rather do something for someone she cared about, whether there was something in it for her or not. Glenda's main priority was that she looked after herself.

Katy glanced at the timetable she had stuck to the back of her door. She was useless at remembering what lessons she had and what she needed, so she made sure she knew. Today was double geography, free, history and double PE. She groaned and decided then and there that she wasn't going to be participating in that lesson.

As quietly as she could, in case Ronnie or James were still asleep, Katy went out into the living room. She was stunned to see a man asleep on the sofa. Automatically she glanced at Ronnie, who was standing next to the sink clutching her mug of coffee and staring angrily at the sleeping man.

"Who's that?"

"Jack's friend." Ronnie said, almost disgustedly. "Michael Moon."

"Moon? As in…"

"Yeah, he's Alfie's cousin."

"He's fit." Katy said, tilting her head to look at him properly.

"Stop it." Ronnie snapped. Katy jumped and said nothing else. She dumped her bag on the counter and put some bread in the toaster.

"Want some?"

Ronnie shook her head and started making the teenager a mug of tea. After their conversation last night, things between the two Mitchells seemed to have returned to normal, but Katy was still on eggshells making sure she didn't upset Ronnie again. She was thinking that perhaps Jack and Lauren's suggestions that Ronnie was suffering from some kind of depression after James' birth might be true.

"What lessons have you got today?" Ronnie asked in a low voice, evidently trying not to wake the sleeping man. Katy told her. Ronnie winced at Katy said 'PE', remembering her own school days. Katy raised her eyebrows in agreement.

"Listen, Ron." Katy said a few minutes later. She felt awkward about bringing yesterday's conversation up again, but she needed to be sure Ronnie was alright. "Yesterday, when I called you mum… I didn't mean to upset you or anything. I was just messing around and I kinda slipped out."

"I know, sweetie." Ronnie nodded, looking at her with a weak smile. "I shouldn't have reacted like that… it was just a shock."

"As long as you know that I would never deliberately try to hurt you."

"Of course I know that." Ronnie said, hugging the teenager tightly. "Now don't worry about it. Go to school and I'll see you later."

Katy nodded and picked up her bag. On her way out of the flat she bumped into Roxy, who pulled out her hairband as she walked past. Katy turned and kicked the older woman on the bum, sticking her tongue out and re-doing her hair. She was grateful to Roxy for being totally transparent; she would never be hard to understand.

x

As planned, Lauren and Katy escaped school before PE and spent the afternoon in the High Street. They were messing around in a coffee shop when Katy's mobile started buzzing and she received a text from Jay.

'_Shirl and Phil's engagement party at the Vic. Be there tonight. J'_

"Shirley and Phil are engaged?" Lauren asked, reading the message over Katy's shoulder.

"Apparently." The Mitchell replied with a shrug. "First I've heard of it. Fancy it?"

"Why not… there's nothing else to do round here on a Wednesday night."

They finished their drinks, but were reluctant to leave the warm shop and venture back out into the cold, grey street. Suddenly Katy noticed someone walking towards them and slid down in her seat quickly. Lauren stared at her in astonishment.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked.

"Nothing…" Katy said. Lauren raised her eyebrows. "Fine, I've just seen one of the old friends I told you about walking this way. Don't look…"

Lauren turned round quickly, just in time to see Daisy cross the road to speak to someone on the other side. She glanced around shiftily and handed something over to the man. Katy could just make out the scene over the top of Lauren's chair, but stayed hidden until she was sure Daisy had gone.

"I said don't look, Laur." She snapped, hauling herself back into the chair.

"She don't look all that scary." Lauren said flippantly. Katy scowled at her.

"Trust me, they're bad news."

"Well I wasn't considering inviting them out for a drink." Lauren replied, rolling her eyes. "What was she doing over here? Balham's ages away."

"Not that far." Katy said. Not far enough, anyway, she thought. "I don't know, I don't want to know either. Let's get back to the Square, yeah."


	70. Chapter 70

The rest of the week was uneventful, but Katy was still bothered by Daisy's appearance on Walford High Street. She didn't tell either of her sisters about seeing her and swore Lauren to secrecy. Ronnie and Roxy had noticed that Katy was very jumpy, but both were caught up in their own problems.

Glenda had revealed to Roxy that Phil had stolen her money at Ronnie's wedding. Apparently the older woman had overheard Phil on the phone talking about it, but Katy was suspicious. Phil wasn't stupid enough to risk being overheard talking about something like that. At first, Roxy was just as suspicious as the teenager and had even sacked Glenda from R&R.

Phil had taken Shirley, Jay and Ben to visit Grant in Portugal. Katy was incredibly jealous. She had never been abroad. In fact, Walford was the furthest she'd ever been from Newport.

Ronnie seemed obsessed with getting Michael out of the flat. Katy didn't like him either; he was too charming and smooth for comfort. Roxy on the other hand fancied him rotten. Katy was worried that her sister would get hurt, but when Roxy set her mind on something, she got what she wanted. She also didn't know if she was carrying Christian's baby, but with Michael on the scene, she seemed to have put that out of her mind.

On Saturday night, Roxy asked Katy to help out in R&R. The teenager was only too happy to help, as it meant she got to spend time with her sister and earn money. She found that she was good at bar work. Roxy hovered around her for a while, seeing as it was her first ever shift at the club, but soon she realised that Katy could handle it and sat at the bar, chatting to her sister and keeping a general eye on things.

The sisters went into the office while Katy was on her break, so that Roxy could check over a few things. When they went back into the club, Glenda was sitting at a table in the corner, sipping her drink. She was obviously waiting for her younger daughter to return. Roxy's face turned thunderous and Katy escaped back behind the bar.

"_What are you still doing here?"_ Roxy demanded, striding over to her mother.

"_You fired me."_ Glenda said casually. _"Didn't say anything about being barred."_

Katy winced at the words, knowing that Roxy would be absolutely furious. She turned to a punter with a wide grin and served them, trying to listen to the loud conversation taking place not too far away.

"_A normal person would make that assumption."_ Roxy said, struggling to control her temper.

"_Come on, Roxy."_ Glenda said standing up and moving towards her daughter. They were talking in much lower voices and Katy had to strain to hear them over the music and the other conversations going on. She moved along the bar so that she could hear properly. _"What Phil did was unforgivable and I understand that you want payback, but punishing me isn't the answer."_

"_Right, so what are you saying?"_

"_We could work together."_ Glenda suggested excitedly. Roxy sighed and rolled her eyes. _"Phil's smart, but he doesn't know that you know. And with me working here we could gain the upper hand. Phil won't know what's hit him."_

Katy could see that her sister was starting to consider her mother's words and called her over quickly. Glenda watched her through narrowed eyes as Roxy approached. She knew that Katy didn't trust her and the teenager could tell that Glenda was worried that she would manage to convince Roxy that Glenda was lying.

"You're not actually considering letting her work here?" She asked Roxy raising her eyebrows. "She blatantly knew about the money ages ago."

"But she's right, Phil doesn't know I know." Roxy thought out loud. "Katy he stole our money. He nearly ruined Ronnie's wedding."

"I know that, but we don't need Glenda to help us get revenge." Katy reasoned.

"She's my mum, babe, I don't want to believe she'd let Phil get away with something like that for so long." Roxy shrugged. "I need to go and talk to her. I'll see you later."

Katy sighed as Roxy walked off. She didn't have long to brood over her sister's weakness, however, as her attention was caught by the sight of Janine and Whitney walking in, wearing ridiculous wigs. The Mitchell hadn't seen her friend since Whitney had blanked her and Lauren in the Square. Apart from the wig, Whitney was wearing knee high boots and a dress that was so short it barely covered her bum.

Katy shook her head as Whitney and Janine passed. Whitney pointedly looked away, but Janine shot her a smirk. They made their way towards two men and Katy couldn't watch. She went back to serving the other customers, only thinking about Whitney again when she appeared at the bar.

"Alright." She said, slurring her words slightly. Katy looked at her sadly.

"Yeah. What are you doing Whit?" She asked.

"Enjoying myself, what does it look like?" The teenager said with a giggle. Katy shook her head.

"Sorry, Whit. I'm not going to serve you. You've had too much already." Katy walked away, leaving Whitney staring after her annoyed. Katy couldn't bear to watch her friend acting like a total idiot. She was worried about what Whitney was doing; Janine was such a bad influence anything could happen.

"Why don't you finish now." Roxy said a while later when she returned from wherever she'd been. Katy looked at her suspiciously. There was about an hour before R&R closed.

"You've given Glenda her job back, haven't you?" She exclaimed accusingly as the truth dawned on her. Roxy shifted uncomfortably and looked at the teenager with puppy-dog eyes.

"I had to, Katy." Roxy said with a sigh. "She's my mum." Katy made a sound in her throat, indicating what she thought of Roxy's mother. "Why don't you go and have a drink with Whit?"

"Nah, she doesn't really want to talk to me." Katy said shaking her head. She glanced over to her friend just in time to see Whitney take a wallet out of the jacket next to her, gather her things and head out of the club. As she passed, she shot Katy a scared look. The Mitchell teenager was shocked, but didn't say anything to her sister. Whitney, although she was wild and liked causing trouble as much as Katy, was much more innocent and easily led. The stealing was obviously Janine's influence and Katy was furious with the older woman.

"I think I'll head home, though, if you don't mind?" She said quickly. Roxy shook her head and Katy rushed as quickly as she could, without raising her sister's suspicions. By the time she'd got outside, Whitney had vanished. With a sigh, Katy headed home, planning on confronting her friend in the morning.


	71. Chapter 71

_**Did anyone else watch that Comic Relief Show last night; Rich, Famous and in the Slums? Wow! I'm even more of a fan of Sam Womack now, she's amazing; easily my favourite soap actress.**_

The next morning, before Katy had a chance to go and find Whitney to demand an explanation of her behaviour the night before, Roxy appeared in the flat. She was furious. Apparently the man whose wallet the teenager had stolen had complained and, after reviewing CCTV it was obvious that Whitney had taken it.

"Just calm down." Katy pleaded. "Let me talk to Whit before you go in all guns blazing, yeah?"

"I'm telling you, babe, if that guy goes to the police I'm going to kill Whitney Dean."

Roxy stormed out of the flat leaving Katy staring after her. She swore and put her hands on her face, thinking hard. She pulled out her mobile and phoned Whitney. It rang several times and then went to answerphone. The teenager tried again, but this time it didn't even ring.

'_Answer your sodding phone. K x'_ Katy typed angrily. She sent the message, waited a couple of minutes to be sure Whitney had read it and then tried ringing again. As before, it went straight to answer phone. Frustrated, Katy threw her phone onto the sofa.

Trying to work out what to do, Katy walked to the window and looked out over the Square. To her horror she realised that Roxy was walking straight towards Ryan. Without stopping even to pick up her mobile phone, Katy left the flat catching up with the pair mid-conversation.

"_Whitney?"_ Ryan was saying, obviously shocked at Roxy's accusation of his little sister.

"_Yes, and it's lucky I like her, Ryan, or she'd be straight down the nick."_ Roxy said harshly._ "Get involved, yeah?" _Roxy strode off leaving Ryan staring after her.

"Listen, Ryan." Katy said, more soothingly. "Roxy's telling the truth; I saw Whit steal that wallet with my own eyes. But it's not like her, is it. Don't you think you should try and get her away from Janine… surely that poisonous cow is the cause of all this?"

"You try telling my sister that." Ryan said bitterly. He rubbed his chin and nodded at Katy. "I'll do my best. Can you try too?"

"I would if she'd answer my calls and texts." Katy sighed and shrugged.

"Thanks, Katy."

Ryan was off down the street through the market, leaving Katy staring after him, shivering. She decided that she really needed to stop running outside without a jacket on.

"Oi!" Katy turned and saw Lauren walking purposefully across the Square towards her. "I was just heading over Dot's, fancy coming with me?"

"Sure." Katy agreed in a subdued tone.

"So… what were you talking to Ryan about? Roxy looked furious when she passed me just now."

"Whit stole some punter's wallet last night. I saw her and it's on the CCTV." Katy sighed. "Roxy's worried that if he phones the old bill R&R will suffer and, to be perfectly honest, we lose much more money and we're screwed."

"Whit did what?" Lauren couldn't believe that their friend could have stooped so low. "I bet its Janine's fault."

"That's what I was saying to Ryan." The Mitchell agreed. "I told him to try and get Whit away from her."

They'd reached Dot and Jim's house by now and Lauren knocked on the door. It was a few moments before her step-grandmother answered the door, but she beamed warmly at the two teenagers on the step.

"Dad sent me over to give you this." Lauren said, holding out a package to the older woman. Dot took it and opened the bag, revealing some kind of desert. "Vanessa made it."

"Yes, well, thank your father for us. I'm sure your grandfather will enjoy some after he's had his tea." Dot said. "Would you like to come in for a moment? I've just put the kettle on."

Seeing that Lauren was about to refused, Katy stepped in and nodded. Dot obviously was grateful for the company and half an hour was no hardship to the two girls. Lauren rolled her eyes at Katy as Dot led them through to the kitchen and the Mitchell responded by prodding her friend in the ribs and pulling an 'I'm disappointed in you' face.

"How's Whitney?" Dot asked as she made them drinks. Both girls looked up at her quickly, wondering what she'd heard. "She came to ask if she could stay here, but I said that Carol was Jim's daughter and we couldn't go against her. She should go home, where she's loved."

"That's what we've tried to tell her, Mrs B." Katy said shaking her head. "She won't listen though. She moved in with Janine."

"And that was a bad move." Lauren said darkly. "Apparently she's been nicking stuff."

"Oh, I say." Dot said, taking a sip of her tea. "Really?"

"Yeah, we caught her last night in R&R, Roxy went crazy."

"I'm not surprised, something like that." Dot said raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah… I don't want to know what Ron would say."

"How is Ronnie?" Dot asked with a smile. "And little James?"

For a while the three of them talked about other things; family and school and work. Then Katy politely excused them and the two girls left Dot, who seemed a lot happier after their visit, to make Jim's tea in peace.

"See," Katy said with a grin, "all it takes to make your Grandma happy is a little patience and a cup of tea."

"Get lost, Mitchell." Lauren laughed. "You're so full of it. I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

"Yeah, see ya Branning." Katy said, her mind already wandering. She was thinking about what Dot had said, '_She should go home, where she's loved._' The old woman was right, but Katy didn't know how to get Whitney to see that for herself.


	72. Chapter 72

_**Again, thanks so much to everyone who's reading and commenting! I love reading your opinions, so carry on letting me know what you think!**_

"… so we need all of your permission slips and money in by tomorrow or you won't be going on the trip." Miss Alton said. Katy looked up at her last word. The teacher had gone into a long speech and the teenager had tuned out. Ronnie had been acting very strangely last night when Katy had got back from Dot's. She couldn't stand being anywhere near Michael, who was still staying with them. Every time he went anywhere near her or James, Ronnie looked as though she was ready to punch him.

"What trip?" She asked her English teacher ignoring the general rule of putting her hand up to attract the woman's attention. Miss Alton pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes slightly, deciding what to do about Katy's behaviour. Then she sighed and sat on the edge of her desk.

"The trip to Stratford-upon-Avon." Miss Alton said. "You weren't here when we handed out the letters at the beginning of term." She moved behind her desk and rummaged around in a drawer. She handed Katy a letter. "If you can get it in by tomorrow you can come."

Katy sighed and read the letter quickly.

'_Dear Parent/Guardian,_

_As part of their English Language A-Level course, we are planning on taking all members of the year 12 classes to Stratford-upon-Avon for an overnight trip to the town strongly associated with William Shakespeare. _

_We will be leaving school at eight o'clock on Thursday February 17__th__ and returning for approximately seven o'clock on Friday February 18__th__. Our timetable is not yet fixed, but it will hopefully include a visit to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and a tour of the main sights of Stratford, including Shakespeare's birthplace and Anne Hathaway's Cottage. We will be spending Thursday night at the Stratford Travelodge._

_This will obviously incur relatively high charges and so the cost of this trip will be £55 per student. In some cases there is help available with payments, so if you have any questions please feel free to contact me at any time within school hours. We would also ask parents to help us to uphold the no-alcohol rule._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Mrs J. Bryan and Miss K. Alton'_

"You think you'll go?" Lauren whispered to her as Miss Alton returned to explaining the detail in the scene of the play they were supposed to be looking at.

"Dunno." Katy said with a shrug. "You?"

"Yeah, I got Mum to sign my form and got the money off Dad. It's the last two days before half term… might as well spend them on a trip, right?"

"Yeah." The Mitchell nodded in agreement. "I'll get Ron to sign it and give me the money later."

"Is everything… you know… normal again?" Lauren asked in a low voice, her eyes wide with concern. Katy shrugged and was prevented from answering by a piercing look from their teacher. A few moments later Katy judged that it would be safe to continue their conversation.

"Ronnie's acting weird again. She can't stand Michael, you know Jack's friend? She freaks out whenever he goes near her or James."

"Why?"

"No idea, Lor… Maybe she's worried he'll lead Jack astray."

"Katherine Mitchell." Miss Alton said sharply. "When Bottom says, 'The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was', what does he mean?"

Katy had to think quickly, trying to understand Shakespeare's language. She didn't have a clue which part of the play they were reading. "Is he saying that the dream he had was so messed up that no one would believe or be able to imagine what he'd seen?"

"Hmm…" Miss Alton was evidently satisfied with the response and she returned to the text. Katy didn't want to risk another question. She had only been able to answer the question because the quote was fairly easy to understand. Next time the teacher would probably be determined to catch the teenager out.

After English, the two girls went up to the common room. Katy had Politics to finish, but she had a free lesson after break, so she wasn't in any rush. She and Lauren curled themselves up in arm chairs and ignored the noisy crowd around them to continue their conversation.

"Basically, I think Ronnie's worried that Michael will get Jack tied up in something he either can't afford or can't handle. They were really good mates when they were younger, but Jack's got a family to think of now rather than just himself. He can't afford to get himself wrapped up in any hare-brained schemes."

"Yeah, Dad's pretty annoyed that Michael's around. He doesn't like him very much. Dad bet Michael that he could beat him at darts, but 'cos Dad lost Michael got to kiss Vanessa. She got mad that Dad would bet her and kissed the guy to prove a point, so Dad punched Michael in the face." Lauren told her, stretching her legs out.

"Roxy said something about that! I haven't seen him since yesterday, so I haven't noticed. Maybe we've got matching black eyes." Katy said with a grin.

"What's he like? Vanessa said he's pretty fit."

"He's alright." Katy said with a shrug. "There's something really creepy about him though. I don't like him at all, but Roxy really fancies him. Ronnie's done her best to warn her off, but you know what Rox is like."

"The blonde bombshell!" Lauren said laughing. "So she's planning on getting her claws into him, is she?"

"I think so." Katy said rolling her eyes. "I wish she'd just find a nice guy… if only Christian wasn't gay!"

The bell rang and Lauren gathered up her things to go to her Art lesson. She had a canvas under her arm that was the biggest Katy had ever seen. She raised her eyebrows and shot her best friend a questioning look.

"Coursework." Lauren said with a shrug. "Try texting Whit again. See if you can get hold of her."

Katy nodded as her friend left and pulled out her mobile. She'd been trying to get hold of Whitney for days, but the younger girl was ignoring her texts and calls. She felt like giving up, but Katy couldn't shake the feeling that Whitney would need her at some point in the not too distant future.


	73. Chapter 73

Lauren had stayed late to work on her coursework after their History lesson last thing that afternoon so Katy walked home on her own. She stared at her mobile, willing Whitney to phone her, but there was no sound, no flashing light.

She let herself into the flat and found herself looking straight into Michael's face. He pushed past roughly and slammed the flat door behind him. Ronnie was standing with her arms crossed defensively across her chest and a look of thunder on her face.

"What's up?" Katy asked, throwing her bag onto the sofa and bending over James in his pram.

"Bag." Ronnie said coldly, turning away and turning the kettle on to make a couple of mugs of tea. Katy sighed and moved her bag into her bedroom.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" She asked, coming back into the living room. Ronnie banged the kettle back onto the stand, making Katy jump.

"Him." The older woman snapped, nodding her head to the doorway where Michael had just left. "I was putting his photo back into his oyster card and he caught me and now thinks I fancy him. As if I'd go near him with a bargepole..."

"Why did you have his oyster card in the first place?"

"I moved his stuff and it fell out of his bag." Ronnie said with a shrug. She was calming down now, thankfully. Much more gently she placed Katy's mug of tea on the counter and leant against it, clutching her own mug, and smiling weakly. "How was your day?"

"Alright." Katy said shortly with a shrug. "We've got a trip coming up. You need to sign this." The teenager handed her sister the letter about the Stratford trip and took a sip of her tea. Ronnie read the letter quickly and signed the form without a hesitation. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Ronnie said with a smile, passing Katy the form and the money. The teenager put the money into her bag ready to take back to school in the morning. She returned to the kitchen and joined Ronnie at the kitchen table. There were a few minutes of awkward silence.

"So, are you going to spill or not? Do I need to keep on and on? There's obviously something wrong." Katy said at last, after getting more and more uncomfortable at the atmosphere that was hanging between the two women.

"Michael is Tommy Moon's real dad." Ronnie said quietly. "He and Kat had a one night stand and bam, along came Tommy."

Katy was slightly confused why Ronnie was so bothered about the real paternity of the dead baby. Just thinking about the fact that Tommy was dead was horrible enough, but now she knew that he wasn't actually Alfie's son made her feel even more sorry for the man.

"That's why I don't want him here. Kat's my friend, Katy, I can't have him here making her upset. It's not fair. It's not fair on her and it's not fair on me." Ronnie elaborated without Katy having to say anything; apparently her expression was enough.

"I get that." The teenager said with a nod. "Why don't you just tell Jack that, tell him how you feel?"

"Because he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't really listen. He just keeps telling me that I need to forget about it, to look after James and stop worrying about everything else."

"I'm gonna ring Rox." Katy said pulling out her phone. "You need both your sisters around to look after you."

x

The next day Katy found it incredibly difficult to get up. Roxy and Amy had come round for tea following the teenager's phone call to her older sister. Katy took it upon herself to cook dinner for her family. She was a terrible cook and managed to burn the spaghetti while leaving the bolognaise sauce uncooked. Ronnie and Roxy found this hilarious and, in the end, Katy just went round to get a takeaway from the Masoods'.

As Katy pulled her straighteners through her hair, not paying much attention to what she was doing, she looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't been able to do so without looking away for a while, but now the bruises on her face had started to fade and she almost looked normal. The teenager had put Ronnie's theory about the possibility that Katy was her daughter to the back of her mind. Now, though, as she stared at her face the teenager questioned why she had ignored the likelihood so readily.

Apart from her dark hair, Katy was a dead ringer for her elder sister; they had the same angular features. All three Mitchell sisters had the same large, piercing blue eyes and full lips, but Roxy's face was slightly rounder and fuller than the faces of the other two.

"Katy!" Ronnie shouted from the kitchen. "Are you ready yet? You're gonna be late!"

The teenager jumped as she heard the words and hit herself in the head with the straighteners. Luckily they didn't make contact with her skin for long enough to cause any damage, but it gave her a shock anyway.

"Yeah, yeah!" she shouted back, turning the device off at the plug. With a final look at her face in the mirror she shook her head and sighed. "She's your sister, Katy. Get a grip."

Ronnie handed Katy a mug of tea and moved past her to pick James out of his Moses basket on the sofa. She smiled down at her baby son and stoked his soft cheek with her finger. The teenager watched, with a smile, taking a large gulp of her tea.

"Remember to hand in your trip money." Ronnie reminded the girl, without looking away from James' face. Almost reluctantly Katy left the flat, shooting a last, jealous look over her shoulder at the scene in the flat.


	74. Chapter 74

The next day, as they had done a week before, Lauren and Katy were sitting in a café instead of attending their PE lesson. It was the same café and they had sat in the same seats as the last time they were there.

Mrs Kelley had set them a History project to create a biography of an influential figure connected to Henry VII. Lauren and Katy had chosen to work on his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, and their text books were spread across the table in front of them.

"I still can't believe she was only thirteen when she had Henry." Lauren said with a shudder. "It's so weird."

"Yeah, well, she was seven when she got married for the first time." Katy pointed out with a shrug. "Henry's dad was her second husband. That's good going mate, divorced and widowed by thirteen with a sprog on the way."

"She's the original battle-axe." Lauren laughed. "She reminds me of your Auntie Peggy."

"Oi!" Katy protested, but joined in her best friend's laughter agreeing that Peggy did have a bit of the Lady Margaret about her. They carried on working in silence, making notes on the woman from their books.

She wasn't sure what made her look up, but Katy suddenly had the feeling she was being watched and glanced up to see Daisy looking at her aggressively through the glass. The teenager's mouth dropped open as she realised who the girl was.

"I'll be back in a minute." Katy said, getting up and rushing out of the café. Lauren stared after her in astonishment with no idea what was happening.

"Alright, Mitchell?" Daisy asked in a hard voice. She didn't stop to listen to the answer before grabbing Katy by her arm and dragging her round the corner into an alley. She pushed the younger girl up against the damp brick wall and pushing her index finger threateningly into her face. "You tell anyone what happened and I'll kill you."

"I'm not scared of you, Daze." Katy said with a weak smile. She looked steadily into the girl's eyes, proving that she meant what she was saying. "I know you too well for that. I know you wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Don't push me, Katy. You buggered off a long time ago. You have no idea what I'm capable of." The Mitchell just shook her head, not giving in to Daisy. The older girl tightened her grip in frustration and pulled out a knife from the pocket of her hoody. Katy glanced at it, slightly nervously.

"Calm down, Daisy. I told my sisters, but they won't say anything. I made them swear." She hesitated as the cold blade pressed against her throat. "Where's Nathan, surely it's his job to threaten girls, not yours."

"Shut up." Daisy hissed, pushing the blade more firmly against Katy. "You think you're untouchable, don't you. You think you're so much better than everyone else."

"Course I don't." Katy choked, her throat feeling tighter and tighter. She started coughing after the effort of getting the words out. Daisy stared at her for a couple of minutes. Then she removed the knife, catching her skin slightly as she did so. Katy gasped as she felt the blade cut her and put her hand up where she'd felt the pain.

"Just stay out of my way, yeah?" Daisy said threateningly.

"It was nice to see you too." Katy said narrowing her eyes. She watched as the older girl turned and walked hurriedly away. Then she sighed, leaning her head against the wall and kicking it in frustration. She let out a shout and crouched on the ground, hugging her knees.

"You alright, love?" A dark haired man said, coming into the alley and standing in front of her. He held out a hand to help her up, which Katy didn't take. Instead she stood up and moved further away from him, towards the entrance to the alley.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure? Here…" he held out a tissue and signalled that she should wipe the blood off her neck. There was barely anything there, Daisy had only nicked it slightly as she moved the knife, but Katy took the tissue and spat on it to get rid of any marks on her neck. "I'm Nick."

"Thanks." Katy said, warily. She put her hands in her pockets and started to walk away. "But I'm fine, yeah?" The man watched as she walked back into the café and dropped into her chair.

"What was that about?" Lauren demanded. "Who's that guy watching us? And what's that on your neck?"

"Nothing." Katy said reassuringly with a casual shrug. She shot an uneasy look outside where the Nick guy was only just walking away. "I dunno who the guy is and Daisy fancied a chat, that's all." Lauren realised that Katy didn't feel like discussing what the conversation had been about and returned to their work. After a few moments, Katy broke the silence. "Do you think I act like I think I'm better than everyone else?"

"What?"

Katy repeated her question. Daisy's words had struck a raw nerve with the teenager. Glenda had told her several times that she thought Katy thought she was better than everyone else and having someone else tell her they thought the same made her question whether the woman had been right about her all along.

"No?" Lauren said confused. "Katy, what's going on with you at the moment? You're acting all weird and everything."

Katy burst into tears. She never normally cried, but all of a sudden she just felt like everything was getting on top of her. She'd never doubted herself so much as she did at the moment and now she felt like everything that was happening was her fault.

Lauren looked horrified at Katy's reaction to her words and wrapped the older girl in a tight hug. "Come on," she said soothingly, "let's get out of here."


	75. Chapter 75

Katy was so embarrassed about bursting into tears in the café. Lauren had delivered her home and abruptly left, leaving Katy to feel like a complete idiot. Ronnie was still at the club and she assumed that James was with her because the flat was deserted.

Still shaken, Katy got into bed and pulled the covers up over her head. After a few minutes she had fallen into a deep, uneasy sleep. It didn't last very long, because Ronnie and Roxy came in not long after, arguing about something and woke Katy up. She crawled out of bed, took a few deep breaths to compose herself and spent the evening acting as though she didn't have a care in the world. She knew her sisters weren't fooled, but she kept up the pretence until she could escape to her bedroom that night.

When Katy got into bed, however, it took her a long time to fall asleep. Everything seemed to keep her awake; voices outside, her sister and Jack moving around the flat, the raindrops against her window. Katy sighed and lay on her back staring at the ceiling. When she did, eventually, fall asleep her dreams were full of the things she'd been hiding from since she had come to Walford.

She was eight again, sitting on a cold, hard, plastic chair in a hospital waiting room. Everything was bare and white and smelt of bleach. A tall woman who, to eight-year-old Katy, looked like a giant walked past her chair.

"Sorry." She muttered as she nudged Katy's arm. The girl said nothing as she stared at the door her mother had walked through much earlier.

Finally Karen had emerged from the room. She wordlessly took her daughter by the hand and the pair of them walked out of the hospital.

They walked out of the building and straight into their house; the one they'd moved into when Katy was fifteen. Both women had aged much more in the seven years that had passed since the hospital situation than they should have. Katy, half dressed in her uniform was rushing around loading the washing machine, making a cup of tea and packing her school bag.

In a corner of the room, eighteen-year-old Katy watched her younger self hurrying around. Karen shouted something from her bedroom and the teenager grabbed a couple of slices of toast from the toaster and quickly buttered them. She carried the plate and a mug of tea into her mother's bedroom, kissed her on the forehead and grabbed the rest of her things before leaving the house. Future Katy looked at the clock as the door shut. It was half past eleven.

The surroundings dissolved and Katy found herself back on the estate she had grown up on. She was about twelve and sitting on a low brick wall watching people passing by. A dark boy in a red hoody and grey joggers picked up an empty can from the floor and hurled it at a group of passing boys. Katy vaguely remembered him; Aaron Jones. He was two or three years older than her and Katy and her best friend Ali had been crazy about him when they were twelve or thirteen.

"I dare you to jack that motor, Mitchell." Aaron said, pointing at a dark red car parked not too far away. With a shrug, the girl slid off the wall and wandered over to the vehicle. She walked round it, looking closely at it. It was old, so old that it didn't even have an alarm.

"Easy." Katy said with a smirk. She pulled out her flip knife and fiddled with the lock. After a couple of minutes she managed to get the door open. With a beam of pride, she pulled open the driver's door and stood on the frame, looking at Aaron and Ali over the roof of the car.

"Move over." Aaron said impressed, pushing her onto the passenger's seat. Ali climbed into the back and the boy got into the front. He fiddled under the dashboard for a minute or two and then the engine roared. "Hold on, ladies." He said with a wink. The car roared even louder and shot off along the road. Katy gripped the seat until her knuckles were white. She was sure they were going to crash as they hurtled around a blind corner. The teenager squeezed her eyes shut.

When she opened them, Katy was sitting on her bed. She was a lot older. Everything was dull and dark and grey. There were no bright colours. It reflected the way dream-Katy felt.

On the wall the clock ticked; ten past nine. The teenager had just come in – she was still wearing her coat and scarf, but her hat was held limply in her left hand. Her dull, lifeless eyes stared unseeingly ahead of her.

It was December 12th 2009; the day Karen Parker had killed herself. The only time Katy ever thought about that say was when she was asleep. Awake, she blocked it out of her mind. Asleep, she had no control.

The worst part about those memories was how Katy felt in them. It horrified her that part of her, a much bigger part than she could bare, felt relief when she had been told the dreadful news, She was finally free to think about herself and what she wanted, rather than her mother and what she needed Katy to do. The feeling nearly tore Katy apart. So she had sealed it off, closed the memories away where she wouldn't have to think about them.

Except in her nightmares.

With a start, Katy sat bolt upright in bed, breathing hard. Nathan's face had appeared in her mind, grinning horribly at her, and woken her up. She took several deep, steadying breaths and rolled over. Her eyes fixed on the photo of her and her mother not long before they had moved into the new house. For once they looked like a normal, happy mother and daughter.

After a long time, and the photo becoming more and more blurry, Katy fell into a blissfully untroubled sleep.


	76. Chapter 76

"I don't feel very well." Katy said in a weak voice as Ronnie came to see why she wasn't up and getting ready for school the next morning. "My head is killing me and I feel really sick."

Ronnie looked concerned, but didn't question her sister any further. "Alright, I'll call the school and tell them you're ill."

"Thanks, Ron." Katy called as the older woman closed her bedroom door.

Outside in the living room, Ronnie rubbed a hand wearily across her forehead. She believed that Katy wasn't feeling up to school, but she didn't for a second believe that she was feeling ill. She could remember exactly how Katy was feeling, but Katy didn't need to bottle everything up like she was. Ronnie and Roxy were there to talk to her if she wanted to.

"Rox?" Ronnie said into her mobile about an hour later. "Are you busy today?"

"What? Ron, I can't hear you." Roxy said on the other end of the line.

"Where are you?"

"Taking Amy to nursery."

"Oh… are you busy after that?"

"I've got a million and one things to do, Ron." Roxy said in a hurried voice. In the background Ronnie could hear her niece crying.

"Alright, don't worry. I'll see you later." The older woman said before hanging up. She poked her head around Katy's bedroom door. "I've got to nip to the club, will you be ok?"

Katy nodded under the covers and Ronnie retreated with a sigh. She pulled on her jacket and pushed James in his pram out of the flat.

x

Katy spent the day falling in and out of sleep. She was woken, late in the afternoon by voices in the living room; Michael and Ronnie. Curious as to what they could be talking about, especially after Ronnie saying Michael had tried it on with her, Katy crept out of bed and opened her door a crack so she could see what was happening. She had missed most of the conversation.

"_Are you going back to Spain?_" Ronnie asked hopefully.

"_Nah, I'm not._" Michael said. "_I'm moving down there… Kat's Nan, is it?_" Ronnie looked disappointed and said nothing, looking away from the man who looked almost threateningly at her. "_We're gonna be neighbours._"

With a sigh, Katy closed the door and crawled back into bed. She lay on her back staring up at the ceiling. With Michael around things were going to get more stressful. Ronnie couldn't stand him, but Roxy was determined to get her claws into him.

'_You OK?_' The message from Lauren came through just as Katy was closing her eyes to try and go back to sleep. Her mobile vibrated, making the teenager's head pound. Then she heard the flat door slam, which hurt even more.

'_Yeah, got a bug or something. I'll be back tomorrow. Did I miss anything?_' She replied quickly. Lauren's reply was almost instant.

'_You sure? It's nothing to do with yesterday, is it?'_

'_Nah… don't mention anything to anyone though. I don't want to worry R&R.'_

'_Fine. Nah, you didn't miss much. Jack threw his play across the room in English and got sent to Alcock, but apart from that it was pretty dull.'_

'_LOL. Bet Alton loved that. ;) See you in the morning, yeah? x'_

Lauren didn't text back and Katy put her phone on the bedside cabinet. She heard the flat door close again, this time more softly and everything went quiet. Katy guessed that Ronnie had gone to the club.

Carefully she got out of bed and went into the living room, checking that it was empty before she went in. She poured herself a glass of pineapple juice and walked over to the window, looking out over the Square. Her eyes immediately fell on Roxy and Michael standing outside the Vic; kissing.

"Brilliant, Rox." She muttered to herself. "He tries it on with your sister and yet you still want him. Classy."

x

"Katy, move over." Ronnie snapped. The teenager was obviously feeling a lot better as she was stretched out on the sofa watching television. The older woman was squashed up at the end of the seat, cradling James. Katy sighed and retracted her legs so that Ronnie had move space.

"Sorry." Katy muttered. They sat in silence until the programme ended. Ronnie turned the television off and ignored her sister's protests.

"Right." She said firmly. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Don't even try that with me, Katherine Mitchell. I know better than anyone what you're going through at the moment."

"Do you?" Katy snapped. "Do you really?"

"Yes." Ronnie tried to soothe her. She put James in his cot and tried to pull Katy into a hug. The teenager resisted, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.

"You have no idea what I'm going through." Katy muttered.

"Then tell me, sweetie. I want to help you."

Her sister snorted cynically. "You can't help me, Ronnie. Besides, I don't want to talk about it. I just want to forget it ever happened."

"You can't do that, it won't help." The blonde woman said softly. She put a hand on Katy's knee as though trying to reassure her that everything would be alright.

"Won't it?" Katy looked at her with blazing eyes. "It's worked for me in the past. Every shitty thing that's ever happened to me, every wrong decision, every time I've been hurt or let down has been locked away in a tiny compartment in my memory and forgotten about. Please, just let me do this my way."

Ronnie didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the teenager any further. As Katy reached the end of her little speech, her voice got more fragile, almost as though she was pleading with her sister.

"Alright." Ronnie conceded. "I won't mention it again. But only as long as you promise that if you ever want to talk about it you'll talk to me."

"I promise." Katy said, meaning it. "You'll be the first person I come to, I swear."


	77. Chapter 77

On Saturday morning Katy's phone woke her, vibrating on her pillow. Sleepily she clicked the green button and held the device to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, K, it's Whit."

Immediately Katy was awake. She sat bolt upright and gripped the phone more tightly to her ear.

"Whit!" She exclaimed happily. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah… things have been really crazy. Look, I'm really sorry I haven't got back to you… and… I'm sorry about the wallet." Whitney said apologetically. From all of her pauses, Katy guessed that her friend was unsure of the reaction she would get from her words.

"Don't worry about it. Rox has forgotten all about it already and that guy was a complete creep. What were you doing with him anyway?" Katy said, relaxing and almost forgetting that there had been any tension between them at all.

"Long story."

"Well I've got all day. Why don't you, me and Lauren head up West and do some window shopping?" Katy suggested, hoping that Whitney wouldn't come up with some feeble excuse to get out of it.

"I dunno…"

"Please, you'd be doing me a massive favour. I need to get out of this flat…" Katy thought about the increasing hostilities between her sisters over Michael Moon.

"Alright, give me an hour, yeah? I'll meet you in the Vic." Whitney said, almost reluctantly.

"Sure, I'll ring Lor and we'll meet you there." Katy hung up and glanced at her clock before phoning Lauren. It was ten past eleven. "Hey, Lauren, guess who's agreed to come up West with us this afternoon?"

"Who?"

"Whit!" Katy said, beaming. "She's gonna meet us in the Vic in an hour, so you best get ready."

"No way!" Lauren squealed. "I gotta sort a few things out first, but I'll be there. Nice one, Katy."

As Lauren hung up, Katy breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that maybe things between the three of them might start getting back to normal. She told herself right then that she wasn't going to mention anything that might put Whitney on edge. The Mitchell didn't want to risk pushing her even further away.

When she was ready, Katy went into the living room to tell Ronnie where she was going. It was almost twelve, but she thought she'd get there early; it was better than hanging around the flat just waiting.

"I'm going out with Lauren and Whit." She said smiling into the pram at James who was waving his arms around happily.

"I think Rox wanted you to help out at the club?" Ronnie said, looking up from her magazine.

"Oh, what? Can't you tell her I'm busy?"

"No, you can tell her yourself." Ronnie said firmly. "I'm just on my way over there now, I need to talk to Rox, so you can come with me." Katy groaned as Ronnie got her things together, but followed her older sister out of the flat anyway. "Where are you going anyway?"

"Just up West to do some window shopping." Katy said with a shrug. "It's really just an excuse to get Whitney out; she's hardly spoken to us for weeks."

"Yeah," Ronnie said curiously, "what's been going on with her? I wondered, but I didn't ask because…"

"You've had other things on your mind?" Katy finished her sister's sentence with a weak grin. "I know. But I have no idea what's up with Whit, that's what I'm planning on finding out today."

Katy helped Ronnie get James' buggy up the steps and they banged on the door of the flat that Roxy and Glenda shared. Glenda opened the door, hugged Ronnie, beamed at James and shot Katy an exasperated look. The teenager just grinned brightly back and pushed past her.

"Rox, Ron said you wanted me to work later?" She asked slipping onto one of the bar stools next to the counter. "But I'm going shopping with Whit and Lauren so I can't." She briefly wondered whether Roxy would mention anything about the wallet Whitney had stolen from R&R, but luckily it seemed to have faded from her memory.

"Oh… ok?" Roxy said, giving Katy a curious look. "I thought you'd fallen out with Whitney?"

"Nah… she's just been busy, that's all." Katy said vaguely, not wanting to get into a discussion about it. "We're heading up West."

"Enjoy yourself."

"We will!" Katy said with a grin and turned to head out of the flat.

She reached the Vic when she realised that she'd left her bag on the counter in Roxy and Glenda's flat. With a frustrated sigh, she retraced her steps and let herself in, through the door which had been left on the latch.

"_Phil's a slippery fish; it might be very helpful to have Ronnie on board._" Glenda was saying, trying to keep her voice low so that she wouldn't be overheard.

"_No!_" Roxy exclaimed. "_No way! This is my money and we will get it back my way, d'you understand? Keep your mouth shut!_"

"I think you'll find that it's OUR money, Roxy." Katy said, raising her eyebrows and putting her hands on her hips. The two blonde women whirled round to face her, shocked expressions on their faces.

"Katy…" Roxy started but the teenager held up her hands to stop her.

"Do what you've got to do, but keep me informed. We should keep Ron out of it, for her sake, yeah?" Katy said firmly. Roxy nodded but Glenda looked suspicious.

"Leave it to the grown-ups." The older woman said. Katy looked around.

"I would if I could see any." She said cheekily with a shrug. Roxy threw her bag at her and grinned.

"Get out." She smirked. "Have a good time."

As the teenager left the flat, she passed Ronnie coming up the stairs with James' bag in her hands. Tilting her head slightly, Katy looked questioningly at it.

"I'm taking Roxy for lunch and Mum's going to look after James." Ronnie explained, understanding her sister's look. "Why are you back?"

"Forgot my bag." Katy said with a grin, holding up the offending accessory.

"Idiot." Ronnie said fondly, planting a kiss on her sister's nose. "See you later."


	78. Chapter 78

The three friends spent an enjoyable afternoon wandering around the shops, trying on the silliest outfits they could find, taking photos and having a laugh. Lauren and Katy kept exchanging looks, trying to work out the best way to start questioning Whitney without making her defensive.

In the end they waited until they were sitting in a coffee shop before they started asking questions. They knew Whitney was working in the Vic, so they assumed things were looking up for her since the wallet-stealing incident.

"What's been going on, Whit?" Lauren started the questioning. Whitney shuffled uncomfortably in her chair. Katy had bought them all drinks and she took a large gulp of her coffee in an attempt to avoid answering the question. Her friends just waited until she'd swallowed her mouthful and fixed her with curious gazes.

"Nothing much," Whitney said with a sigh, realising they weren't going to give up, "I'm living with Janine because I've got nowhere else to go. We haven't got enough money to pay the rent so it's hard."

"What happened to your stall?"

"Lister hates me." The teenager said bluntly. "I couldn't pay last month's pitch fees so he took my stall."

"Oh…" Katy privately thought that there was probably something more to the story than that, but she didn't say anything.

"So how're things with you?" Whitney asked, apparently eager to turn the spotlight away from herself and onto the other two. Katy seemed the perfect target to replace her on the hot seat.

"Fine." Katy said quickly, shooting Whitney a smile. The younger girl raised her eyebrows, unconvinced.

"So what's with the bruises?" She asked, putting her hand on her own cheek.

"Oh… I spent some time with some blasts from the past that turned out to be very different from how I remember them." Katy said with a shrug, shooting Lauren a look. "I only stayed a week because I almost turned into a punch bag."

There were a few moments of silence as Whitney digested the new information that she was being given. She pouted slightly, a look her friends recognised as the one that came over her face when she was feeling guilty or upset about something. There was no point her getting upset, so Lauren tried to turn the topic to something more interesting; to her anyway.

"What's the deal with Michael Moon then?" She asked Katy, who exhaled deeply and rolled her eyes.

"He's a proper creep. Last night Ron told us that he tried it on with her on like Tuesday or something, even though Jack's supposed to be his best mate. But Roxy decided she still wants him and she slept with him yesterday anyway." Katy confided. "But it's even worse because Jack decided that he wants to open a boxing gym with him before Ronnie told him what Michael did."

"Really?" Lauren looked sympathetic. "Him and Dad going into business together didn't work out then? Not that that's a surprise!"

"Yeah…" Katy agreed with her friend. "Branning brothers never was the best idea, was it?" The three of them grinned. "So… any news on your mum and Greg's wedding?"

"Eurgh…" Lauren groaned, pulling a face. "Don't get me wrong, yeah, Greg's a nice guy. But he's just too nice, d'you know what I mean?"

Katy and Whitney looked at each other amused. As one they looked back at Lauren, shook their heads and laughed.

"No?"

"He just tries so hard to be my mate. Fair enough he's quite young and that, but he's still marrying my Mum! The other day he asked what I was listening to on my iPod and tried to start a conversation about music. I was just like, 'Errr hello?' It was so weird!" Lauren said shaking her head. The other two looked at each other, laughing.

"What were you listening to?" Katy asked wondering how embarrassing the conversation had been.

"Only Greenday." Lauren said with a shrug. "But he kept going on about how he wanted to go and see them when he was a teenager because they were 'totally cool'." She wiggled her fingers in the air as she said the last two words.

"Eww!" Whitney said. "You and your indie rock!"

"We're not all sheep who only like music that's in the charts." Lauren teased the other two, knowing that they tended to prefer listening to R&B, Pop and Dance music.

"Hey!" Katy argued, mock defensively. "I happen to know the words to several Greenday songs, if you must know!"

"Why, did you used to listen to them?" Lauren asked, intrigued.

"Nah, but I had a mate who did." The Mitchell joked, dodging Lauren's weak punch as all three of them laughed.

All three teenagers were enjoying the relaxed and normal atmosphere that had returned between them. They were so close that some things between them didn't even need to be said. They passed the rest of the afternoon happily before deciding, around five o'clock, to return to Walford.

As they sat on the bus, Dot's words returned to Katy and she knew she had to try and do something to encourage Whitney to return home. She knew that it probably wouldn't go down well, but she had to try. They'd nearly reached their stop when she got up the courage to raise the subject.

"Why don't you just go home, Whit?" She asked out of the blue. Whitney turned to look at her, her eyebrows furrowed. "I know they're all missing you. The kids especially."

"Ricky doesn't want me around the kids." Whitney said pathetically, pouting slightly again.

"That can't be true!" Katy exclaimed. "They love you and you're brilliant with them."

"Yeah, well, I'm not family am I, not really."

"Course you are." Lauren told her firmly. "Family ain't just about blood, is it?"

"It's true, Whit." Katy added. "Think about it; Bianca's practically your mum, she doesn't share the same DNA, but she'd do anything for you and you know it. She loves you exactly the same as the kids."

"I guess…" Whitney agreed reluctantly.

"And Liam, Tiff and Morgan; you think of them as your brothers and sister, right?" The older girl continued. Whitney nodded. "And Ricky obviously cares about you as well. Maybe you're just being too sensitive, babe?"

The bus stopped and the three girls jumped off and started walking towards home. Now they were back in such familiar territory, Whitney's carefree attitude seemed to have evaporated and her pace slowed. It was almost as though she didn't want to go back.

"I'll think about it, yeah?" She said quietly as they reached the flat she was sharing with Janine. "See you later."

She disappeared inside, leaving Katy and Lauren to exchange glances before saying goodbye and heading home themselves.


	79. Chapter 79

"D'you get any Valentines then?" Lauren asked as she met Katy on Monday morning ready for their walk to school.

"Nah." Katy said with a shrug. "You?"

"Two." Her friend replied with a grin. Katy raised her eyebrows, hoping for some gossip. "But they were from Dad and Greg. They were trying to be nice to me I guess."

They walked briskly, laughing about how pathetic their love lives were. Katy argued that she was less of a loser because she didn't have cards from people trying to cheer her up. Lauren disagreed; at least she had a couple of cards.

The Valentine's Day spirit seemed to be putting everyone in a good mood. Even Mr Kinnock seemed in a pretty good mood as he took the register in their form room this morning. He didn't even rise to the bait when Alex Harris, the class clown who was also in Lauren and Katy's History class, started trying to wind him up.

"Sir, did you get any Valentines?" He shouted from the back of the classroom.

"That's none of your business, Harris." Mr Kinnock said, although Katy thought he was trying to hide a grin.

"I bet you did, Sir." Alex continued. "You're not too bad looking. D'you have a girlfriend?"

"Actually I'm engaged, not that it's any of your business." Their teacher said, being far more tolerant of the teenager's behaviour than he usually would have been.

"Really?" Alex seemed surprised. "Is she hot, sir?"

"That's enough, Harris." Mr Kinnock snapped, finally having enough of the boy's lip.

"But did she give you a Valentine's card?" He continued, not knowing when to stop.

"Out!"

As he left the classroom, with his bag slung over his shoulder, he stopped to wink at Katy and Lauren.

"I bet she's well dirty." He said suggestively in a low voice. The girls burst out laughing and Alex escaped before Mr Kinnock could say anything to him. The bell rang a couple of minutes later and they both headed off to double English. There were only three days, including today, before the Stratford trip, so Katy and Lauren were hoping that a large part of their first lesson, with Mrs Bryan, would be taken up discussing details.

"Right, kids." The Irish woman said in her usual business-like tone as the class settled into their seats. "I hope we're all looking forward to our little adventure?" She paused as the class murmured their agreement to her question. "The first thing we need to do is split into groups for the hotel. The rooms are in threes, so we don't want any twos or fours, OK?"

Lauren looked at Katy and shrugged. They glanced around the glass, trying to identify a possible third person to share with. One of their friends, Emma, smiled at them and Katy did the usual nod and raise of her eyebrows to signal that it was a deal.

"When you have arranged a group of three, come and write your names down on this sheet so we know who's where." Mrs Bryan continued. "Apart from that, any questions?"

"What do we need to bring?" A blonde girl called Jessica asked. She had a cutesy little girl voice that annoyed Katy every time she heard it. Looking at her always made Katy think of the film _St Trinian's_. If Jessica was at the school she would have been adopted as a natural 'Posh Totty', despite living on a council estate in East London.

"The usual things you'd take on a trip; camera, money, etc." Their teacher said with a shrug. "Clothes – nothing too revealing please girls and definitely nothing anyone could take offence to – and something reasonably smart for our trip to the theatre on Thursday evening."

Mrs Bryan then turned their attention back to the novel, _Spies_ by Michael Frayn, which they were studying for their exam. She got them working in pairs on different themes that might come up on the paper and walked around them, questioning and prompting.

When she was on the other side of the classroom, Lauren pulled out her mobile. She showed Katy several texts she'd received from Whitney the night before. None of them contained any sign that the teenager was planning on moving back in with her family, but at least Whitney seemed back to normal, especially where her best friends were concerned.

"Put it away please, Lauren, before I take it off you." Mrs Bryan said from the other side of the classroom. The teenagers exchanged a look, but Lauren tucked her phone back into the pocket of her jeans anyway.

"Sorry, miss." She said before lowering her voice and adding to Katy, "How the hell does she do that?"

Katy grinned and returned to the work they'd been set.

x

When Katy and Lauren got to the common room at break time, they both found Valentine's cards poked into their lockers. Lauren was convinced that hers was from Seb, a boy she fancied in her art class. Katy had two and she didn't have a clue who either of them was from. Instead of trying to work it out, however, she simply shoved the cards into her bag and refused to rise to Lauren's questioning.

"Aren't you even a tiny bit curious?" Lauren asked.

"Nope, not even the tiniest bit."

"But they could be from someone really hot."

"In this school?" Katy raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Nah… they're probably from Ed and Louis." She joked, looking over to the 'loser' corner where all the maths and science nerds hung out. Ed and Louis were both tipped for Oxbridge and, although she had nothing personal against them because she was sure they were nice enough guys, Katy wouldn't have considered dating them in a million years. Lauren laughed and shook her head.

"You're such a loser." She said pulling one of the cards out of Katy's bag to examine it. Katy didn't try to stop her, but started flicking through a magazine to prove she really didn't care who the card was from.

"You got my card then?" A male voice said. Katy looked up slowly to see Alex standing in front of her. She raised her eyebrows and looked him up and down.

"You?" She asked, half disbelieving and half amused.

"Yeah, and?"

"Nothing," Katy pulled the other card out of her bag and held it out to him, "any idea who this one's from?" Alex took it, scowling slightly.

"Ooh!" Lauren laughed. "Are you worried you've got competition?"

"No…" Alex said, not entirely convincingly. "And that's Seb's handwriting."

He walked off, leaving Lauren staring at the Valentine's card as though it had personally offended her. She pulled her own card out and held it next to Katy's, comparing the handwriting. It was unmistakably the same and Lauren held them up, incredulously. She was about to say something, but Katy beat her too it, holding her hands up.

"Hey, you can have him. Trust me I'm not interested in Seb."

Lauren beamed.


	80. Chapter 80

"What are you gonna do about your Valentine then?" Lauren asked as she and Katy walked home that afternoon. Katy shot her a look, with one raised eyebrow and didn't bother to answer the question.

For February the weather was reasonably mild and Katy had shoved her jacket into her bag, slung over her shoulder. She and Lauren walked slowly back towards the Square, taking their time to get home. Neither of them were particularly excited about the prospect of hanging out with their families; Ronnie and Roxy still weren't seeing eye to eye about Michael and Katy wasn't sure about what Jack was doing and Lauren had to deal with the sickening sight of Darren, Jodie and little George playing happy families.

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Lauren said as she leant against the wall of 5 Albert Square where she lived with her Dad, Vanessa and the others.

"If I survive the battleground." Katy said with a grin. "Only two days now babe, then we get to go on holiday… sorta!"

"Mmm… Holiday with Alton and Bryan!" Lauren said with a chuckle.

"It's better than nothing, ain't it." Katy called over her shoulder heading towards the flat. Lauren didn't say anything in reply, she just laughed and went up the steps and through her front door. Katy mirrored her movements, letting herself in and dumping her bag on the counter.

As usual everyone was out, so the teenager went into her bedroom and picked up her laptop. She turned the television on, turning the volume right up, watching music videos while she went through her facebook page. Nothing interesting was happening; the odd gossipy status update and amusing photo album, but she soon got bored and closed it down.

'_I'm SO bored, mate. Fancy going out for a bit. L x'_

Katy read the message from Lauren, grabbed her jacket, wallet and keys and headed out of the flat. She didn't need any persuasion to go out. As she walked over to the Brannings' she passed Roxy headed in her direction, Amy in tow.

"Hey." She called to her older sister cheerfully. She bent down to pick her niece up, tickling her as she did so.

"Alright, babe?" Roxy said with a smile. "Where you headed?"

"Just Lauren's, Ronnie's out and its well boring in there."

"Don't you have work to do?" Roxy asked, raising her eyebrows. Katy smiled at her but didn't reply. "OK, OK… Hey, guess who I've just heard is working in the Vic?"

"Who?"

"Whitney, apparently Ryan persuaded Kat to give her a chance."

"Good… hopefully she won't waste her opportunity." Katy said with a sigh. She set Amy back down on the ground, ruffling her hair. "By the way, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"You know this whole Phil and the money thing? Please tell me that you haven't let Glenda talk you into doing anything stupid. Phil's smarter than either of you are giving him credit for. When he gets back from Portugal we're gonna have to be careful."

"Woah! Chill out, Katy." Roxy said with a grin. "Don't worry about it, we've got it under control."

"Have you though?" Her sister winced, doubting her sister and Glenda's ability to outwit Phil Mitchell.

"Yeah… it's cool. Go and enjoy yourself."

Roxy winked at her and walked away, leading little Amy by the hand. Katy watched, shaking her head slightly at the blonde's confidence. She hated doubting her sister, but even after only knowing her for less than a year, Katy knew her well enough to be worried about how assured Roxy was that she would succeed.

"Oh, damn it." Roxy said loudly making the teenager turn on the spot to see what was wrong. "I needed to ask you to work at the club."

"But I'm going to Lauren's?" Katy moaned.

"Lauren can help you." Roxy suggested, putting her hands together and smiling hopefully.

"Is there money in it?" The teenager asked hopefully. Roxy narrowed her eyes and pouted slightly, considering the question for a few moments before answering.

"Twenty each and a free drink."

It was Katy's turn to consider her sister's words. She thought for a moment, looking carefully at Roxy with her head on one side.

"Alright, you got yourself a deal as long as you throw in a couple more free drinks."

Roxy grinned. "Thanks, babe, you're a life saver. Nick's already over there, he'll tell you what needs doing."

x

"Why do you do this to me?" Lauren demanded, unloading the industrial sized dishwasher and piling the glasses into a crate. As she filled it up, Katy carried it through to Nick, who unloaded them and put them underneath the bar on the shelves. She rolled her eyes at the barman who grinned.

"We're getting twenty quid and free drinks, so stop moaning." Katy called through to her, pouring out refills. "Did you know that Whit's working for Kat in the Vic?"

"What?" Lauren took a gulp of her vodka and coke and raised her eyebrows. "Since when?"

"No idea… Roxy just told me." Katy said with a shrug. "I hope she keeps hold of this job."

Lauren was prevented from answering by the phone, which Katy left the room to answer. She sat in the swivel chair behind the desk in the office, took a breath and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, R&R." She said in her most business-like tone. "No, I'm sorry Ms Mitchell isn't here at the moment. No, or Mr Mitchell. Can I take a message?" She paused, scribbling the message the supplier was giving her on the notepad on the desk. "I'll see she gets the message. Thank you."

When she had hung up, Katy stayed in the chair for a moment, putting her hands lightly on the wooden surface of the desk and leaning back into the soft leather of the seat. She knew Ronnie thought she should get a proper job, or even go to university, and make something more of herself than she or Roxy had. But Katy could see herself sitting like this, as the boss of her own business.

She smirked slightly, wrote 'ROXY' in big letters across the top of the note she'd written and walked towards the door. As she went, her eye fell on the safe. Katy hesitated, biting her lip. Clearing her mind, she quickly knelt in front of the metal box and ran her hands over it. As she had expected, it wasn't a cheap safe; in fact it was top of the range.

Returning to the desk, Katy pulled open the drawers, rummaging through them in the vague hope of finding something that might show her what the code might be. She knew that they, Phil especially, wouldn't be stupid enough to leave the safe code lying around but she wanted to check anyway. If Glenda and Roxy were trying to think of a way to get the money back, she needed to come up with a Plan B. Just in case.


	81. Chapter 81

_**Thanks Louiejanes and everyone else for the comments! I hope everyone's still loving the story! I've written quite a way ahead and I'm nearly coming to an end! I'll be very sad to stop writing Katy, but all good things have to come to an end, don't they! :( I may write another Katy Mitchell fanfic at some point, but this one will be ending in the not too distant future, so please let me know what you think! **_

Katy had persuaded Roxy to drive her and Lauren to school on Thursday morning, ready for their trip to Stratford. The girls were excited but, as was usual for girls, had over packed. As they sat in the car waiting for Roxy to come out of the house, Katy pulled something out of her bag and showed it to Lauren who was sitting beside Amy in the back.

"Where did you get that?" She asked impressed. She grinned as Katy shoved the bottle of vodka back into her bag.

"Where d'you think?" Katy replied grinning. "I reckoned they wouldn't notice the one bottle disappearing. Besides, Phil owes me."

"What for?" Her friend asked, curious about Katy's change in tone.

"Giving Mitchells a bad name." Katy said turning abruptly to face the front. "And looking like a gorilla in clothes." Lauren burst out laughing as Roxy opened the driver's door and got in.

"We ready, girls?" She asked with a grin. Katy nodded and, struggling to control her giggles, Lauren said she was.

They chatted about rubbish as they drove through the morning rush hour traffic. Both teenagers laughed at Roxy's road rage as she swore and shouted at the other drivers on the road that she decided were annoying. As they jumped out of the car and gathered their things, Roxy pulled Katy into a tight hug.

"Text us when you get there, yeah, or Ronnie'll do her nut." She said with a grin.

"Yeah, OK, chill out." Katy said, playing it cool in front of the crowd that had gathered at the school gates ready for the trip. Amy clutched at her top and Katy picked her up, giving her a quick kiss and a hug before handing the toddler back to her mother.

"Alright, whatever." Roxy said laughing and pushing Katy lightly away from her. "Have a good time, yeah, and you Lauren. See you tomorrow night."

The teenager waved her sister off and turned to her friends, rolling her eyes. Jake, the class clown was standing with Lauren, Emma and Alex. He winked and made a clicking sound with his tongue. Katy raised her eyebrows and looked at him almost in disgust.

"Oh my days, Mitchell!" He said loudly. "Who was that?"

"That's her sister, Roxy." Lauren said with a smirk. "And the kid was my cousin, Amy."

"So you'se are like related?" Jake asked, looking between them confused.

"Yeah… I guess so?" Katy said with a shrug. She never really thought about how they were connected. "My brother-in-law is Lauren's dad's brother."

"Rubbish, so Roxy's married?" The boy said disappointed, almost as though he actually thought he would stand a chance with Katy's man-eating older sister.

"What? No? He's married to my other sister." Katy said, looking at him as though he was simple. Jake looked totally confused. Lauren and Katy exchanged glances and laughed. "Don't worry your little brain about it; our family is slightly messed up."

"Yeah, Uncle Jack's had kids with both Katy's sisters and her cousin." Lauren said smirking.

"OK, Lor, we don't need the whole sordid history, yeah." Katy said, slightly annoyed at her friend for telling everyone.

"Are you kidding?" Jake asked in disbelief. "Oh my days, Mitchell, you wanna make sure you ain't next on his list, yeah."

"That's sick." Katy snapped, signalling that the conversation about her family was closed. "Are we going on this bleedin' trip or not?"

x

"You alright, babe?" Lauren asked as they sat at the back of the bus on their way out of London. Katy had been very quiet as they loaded their things onto the coach and started on their journey. Around her, their friends had been excitedly chatting, joking and messing around, but Katy was just watching the scenery change as they left the city.

"Fine." Katy said with a smile that wasn't very convincing. She flicked through the music on her iPod settling on Jessie J, _Price Tag_. She offered the left earphone to Lauren, who accepted it and grinned as she realised what she was listening to.

"I really need to educate you on music." The younger girl said laughing. She pulled out her own iPod and offered Katy an earphone. The Mitchell replaced hers and waited until Lauren put some music on. A beat started, not entirely dissimilar to the ones she listened to normally. The song started slowly and quietly and Katy had to admit that it was good.

"It's not bad." She admitted grudgingly. "What is it?"

"Death Cab for Cutie." Lauren informed her. "I will possess your heart."

"Will you now?" Jake said with a cheeky grin, turning round in the seat in front to look at her. Lauren rolled her eyes.

"It's the name of the song, loser."

"Whatever, Branning." Jake said with a wink before turning around to face the front again. "I know you want me really."

Katy and Lauren exchanged a look before returning to their conversation. They spent the next hour and a half, before they reached their destination, comparing the music they liked. In the end they agreed to disagree on which genre was best, but both had discovered songs that they quite liked out of the other's music library.


	82. Chapter 82

_**I've been thinking about it and decided to carry the story on until Ronnie leaves Eastenders, to give the storyline an alternative (hopefully slightly happier!) ending! Comments? **_

"If you look to your left, you'll see the cottage that Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, grew up in. This spacious twelve roomed farmhouse was known as Newlands Farm when it's most famous occupant was living and, after their father's death, the house was owned by Anne's brother, Bartholomew. It was sold to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1892." The tour guide droned over the speaker system. At the back of the tour bus Katy and Lauren ignored the man and carried on their conversation instead.

"Right, so we get in from this theatre thing tonight, give it an hour or so and then it's party time?" Lauren recapped, looking at Katy to confirm the plan. The Mitchell was wearing large sunglasses and slouched down in her seat with her back against the cold glass of the window.

"You got it kid." Being on a bus for so long had given her a headache, hence the sunglasses.

"What time do we get back?"

"I dunno… it finishes at like quarter to eleven, I think?" Katy replied with a shrug. She couldn't be bothered with conversation. Instead she just pushed her head against the cold window and tried to take deep breaths without anyone realising anything was wrong. Her headache was making her feel sick and added to the motion of the bus she was worried that she might actually throw up if she spoke much more.

"Richard III is the first recorded play, written by Shakespeare in about 1591. The earliest proper performance happened on November 17th 1633, when it was watched by Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, on the Queen's birthday. Yet it had obviously been performed many times before that." The tour guide continued, cutting through Katy's thoughts.

She felt sorry for the man. It was completely obvious that none of the students were paying him the slightest bit of attention. It didn't even look as though the teachers were listening either. Miss Alton had her head buried in a copy of some celebrity magazine, Mrs Bryan and Mrs Kelley, who had accompanied them on the trip along with Mr Cole to make up the teacher/student ratio, were having a conversation about something or another and the male teacher seemed to have fallen asleep.

She watched the tour guide for a while. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest that he might be the only person who was interested in what he was saying. In fact he seemed to have forgotten that they were there at all. He had a dreamy look in his eyes as he spoke about the writer, who was obviously his hero.

The teenager herself couldn't see why Shakespeare was so great. She didn't even like Romeo and Juliet, although almost all teenage girls loved the story. Secretly, the Mitchell loved reading the books of authors such as Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot and William Makepeace Thackeray. She had once discussed them with old Mrs Wilson who told her that the reason she liked the books so much was that the lives of the characters in them were so different from the life she had.

Katy thought that Mrs Wilson was probably right.

Not long after Katy had moved in with Ronnie, she had found a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell's _North and South_ in her older sister's bedroom. _North and South_ was, indisputably, Katy's favourite novel and knowing that, from the looks of the book, Ronnie liked the novel too made the teenager feel even closer to the woman.

"Mitchell!" Katy jumped as she realised Jake was trying to get her attention.

"What?"

"Lauren told me you're having a little party later. I'm assuming Alex and I are invited?" He said with a grin. Katy looked back at him blankly.

"What makes you think you can assume that?" She asked seriously. He looked back at her, slightly bemused, for a moment or two before realising that she was only joking.

"Ahhh! Good one!" He said, his face cracking into a grin half of amusement, half of relief. "So we'll leave it an hour and then come over to your room, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan." Katy said with a nod. "Now, if you'll excuse me I was enjoying my little nap."

x

Despite her dislike for Shakespeare, Katy enjoyed the outing to the theatre. Apart from running her own business, the only career the teenager had ever seriously considered was becoming an actress. Her high school in Newport had tried, largely unsuccessfully, to put on plays and musicals, but Katy's image meant that there was no way she could audition let alone act in one. Maybe this year she could take part in the play at Walford High. On the other hand, probably not.

The teenagers piled back onto the bus and they headed out of the town to the Travelodge. Once there they scrambled to get into their rooms. Emma, Lauren and Katy argued jokily over who would get which bed. Actually, there wasn't much of an argument. As best friends, Katy and Lauren agreed to share the double bed, allowing Emma to have the single bed in the corner of the room.

Half an hour after they'd been given their keys, there was a soft knock on the door and Katy, dressed her in pyjamas, jogging bottoms, a vest top and a zip-up hoody, opened the door. Mrs Kelley smiled at her and Katy opened the door properly so that the History teacher could see Lauren and Emma as well.

"Lights out soon, please girls." The teacher said with a warm smile. "You've got a busy day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Yes, Miss." The three girls answered in chorus smiling back at the kindly lady. As she left Katy felt a twinge of guilt taking advantage of her trusting nature. Then she shrugged it off and retrieved the bottle of vodka from her bag.

"What do you say we get a head start?" She said with a wide grin.

Emma and Lauren grinned and went into the bathroom to retrieve the plastic cups put out by the sink. Katy wasn't sure what they were for, but she guessed it was something to do with teeth brushing; maybe they were to help with rinsing the toothpaste out of your mouth. She shrugged the question away, wondering why she thought about such random things.

"Let's get this party started!" Katy said with a wink, pouring three large shots of vodka into the cups and raising hers into the air.


	83. Chapter 83

"Alright girls?" Jake said as he, Alex and Fin, the boy they were sharing their room with, arrived about half an hour later.

Lauren just giggled in greeting and stood aside to let them in. The girls were pretty drunk already; they'd got through half of the litre bottle of vodka. The three boys seemed determined to catch them up, downing the vodka quickly. Within half an hour they were all screaming with laughter and unable to walk in a straight line.

"How time?" Lauren slurred, before bursting into fits of giggles again. Katy tried to work out what the time was on the display of her phone, but the symbols were just blurring into one another.

"Twelve?" She said vaguely, shrugging and sitting down heavily on one of the beds. Jake gave a shout and ran at her, knocking her backwards onto the bed and lying heavily on top of her. Katy tried to push him off, but was giggling too hard to be successful. After a few seconds Alex joined the pile, his added weight making Katy splutter. She bashed the boys until they rolled off her and she could breathe properly again.

Unnoticed, Emma and Fin had vanished and Katy had no idea where they had gone. She wasn't bothered by this; in fact she was starting to feel very tired. Shakily she got to her feet. She looked at her phone again, it was half past one. She briefly wondered where all the time had gone, but shook the thought out of her head.

"Out now, please." Katy said with a yawn. "I wanna go bed."

"Why are the two things mutually exclusive?" Jake asked cheekily. Katy couldn't decipher his words and just gave him a blank stare.

"Whhaaa?" Lauren said spacily. She looked over at him vaguely.

"Why do we have to leave because Katy wants to go to bed?"

"Get out before I break something you'll miss." Katy said raising an eyebrow and ushering the boys towards the door.

"Only if you give me a kiss first." Jake said with a wink. Leading towards him, Katy grasped the boy's face in her hands, pulled it towards her and planted a kiss on his forehead. Then she smiled, planted her palm in the centre of his face and pushed him backwards into Alex, before pushing both of them out of the door and closing it firmly.

Lauren laughed. "And that," She said with a grin, "is why you're my best mate."

x

The alarm call the next morning came much too quickly for the teenagers. At half past eight the girls rolled out of bed and the three of them, Emma having returned from wherever she'd gone while the other two were sleeping, argued over who would get a shower first. While the other two were disputing the matter, Katy slipped past them and locked the door.

"OI!" Lauren snarled, bashing on the bathroom door with her clenched fists.

Inside Katy just grinned and closed her eyes, putting her head back under the jet of the boiling water. She was surprised that she wasn't suffering this morning. She assumed the other two were and that was why she'd been able to get in the bathroom first.

At breakfast Mrs Bryan had announced that that morning they were following on the heritage trail, going into all the important places, most of which they'd seen on the tour the afternoon before; Shakespeare's birthplace, Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Mary Arden's farm among others.

"This is the house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564." The tour guide, a woman who looked as though she was in her late seventies at the youngest, said talking to Mrs Bryan and Mrs Kelley more than to the whole group. "It is the most frequently visited of all the tourist attractions in Stratford. Descendants of the bard lived here until the nineteenth century and it has been a place of pilgrimage for over 250 years."

The teachers were probably too used to their students turning up for lessons hung over to comment on the fact that some of the teenagers walking round the house like zombies. The Head of English, Mrs Bryan, privately observed that it was odd that Lauren Branning and Emma Fisher were looking as though they'd spent the night in a brewery, while Katy Mitchell seemed to be feeling completely fine. The dark haired teenager was positively cheerful compared to the others, although she looked completely preoccupied by something.

x

Katy barely heard anything the tour guides were saying at any of the locations they went to. She wasn't suffering from the night before, but she had a lot on her mind. She couldn't help grinning as she looked at Lauren and Emma, both wearing sunglasses even inside the buildings.

"You got any paracetamol?" Lauren asked wincing as they were shown around the last building on their tour, as though even speaking was making her head ache. Katy rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a packet of the tablets, handing them to her best friend wordlessly.

She linked her arm through Katy's and leant her head on the shorter girl's shoulder. Katy didn't think Lauren could have been very comfortable, but she didn't say anything or move. They finished the tour of the house and had been given fifteen minutes to look around themselves. Most of the group had headed for the café or the gift shop, but Katy headed off into the gardens.

Confused, Lauren followed her, "What's wrong?" she asked, jogging down the gravel path after the teenager. She caught up with her, put a hand on her friend's arm and spun her round. Then she lifted up her sunglasses so that Katy could see her eyes.

For a couple of minutes she considered whether to tell her best friend what was bothering her. Then she took a deep breath and turned to face the younger girl completely, looking into her eyes.

"I'm nearly three weeks late." Katy said, tears forming in her eyes. "Lauren, I think I'm pregnant."


	84. Chapter 84

_**Lyrics in this chapter are from Cannonball by Damien Rice :)**_

Katy hardly said anything to Lauren on the way back to Walford after her revelation in the garden of Shakespeare's mother's house. She hardly paid any attention to the noisy teenage antics around her on the coach, staring out of the window with her iPod earphones jammed into her ears.

'_There's still a little bit of your taste in my mouth_

_There's still a little bit of you laced with my doubt_

_It's still a little hard to say what's going on'  
_

Lauren was trying to catch Katy's eye, shooting her concerned glances every couple of minutes. She was listening to her own iPod. Every now and again her eyes closed and her head nodded. Katy was sure that she wasn't far from falling asleep. With a wry smile, the teenager wished that she could fall asleep. The vodka was starting to catch up with her and her head was starting to thump.

'_There's still a little bit of your ghost, your witness_

_There's still a little bit of your face I haven't kissed_

_You step a little closer each day_

_That I can´t say what´s going on'  
_

In the seats in front of Katy and Lauren, Emma and Fin were celebrating their new relationship. The sight was making the Mitchell feel even more nauseous. In the seat behind Alex and Jake were messing around having some kind of conversation about girls. Katy caught the words 'I SO would' and decided that she didn't want to hear anything else.

'_Stones taught me to fly_

_Love, it taught me to lie_

_Life, it taught me to die_

_So it's not hard to fall_

_When you float like a cannonball'  
_

Slowly the scenery changed from green to grey. Inwardly Katy was disappointed when the trees and fields vanished completely and were replaced by industrial and housing estates and roads; lots and lots of roads. She'd never realised just how many cars travelled the roads before. It was a stupid thought, she knew, but it still shocked her, seeing them all racing past the bus.

'_There's still a little bit of your song in my ear_

_There's still a little bit of your words i long to hear_

_You step a little closer to me_

_So close that I can´t see what´s going on'  
_

"If you need to contact parents to collect you, we're about half an hour away from school." Mrs Bryan called back over the hubbub in the bus. Katy pulled out her mobile and sent Ronnie and Roxy a quick text. She'd kept her promise and kept in touch with her sisters during the trip. She didn't understand why they were so eager to keep in contact with her, but she humoured them nonetheless.

'_Rox will be there. Can't wait to see you sweetie. xxx'_ Ronnie had text back almost instantly. Katy smiled at the display and shoved her mobile back in her pocket.

"Wanna lift home?" She asked Lauren, nudging her gently. The teenager jumped and looked at her in confusion until Katy repeated her question.

"Yeah, thanks babe." Lauren said with a smile, closing her eyes again. Then she opened them and looked hard at Katy. "What are you gonna do about… you know?" She looked down at Katy's stomach. The teenager shrugged.

"Nothing, yet." Katy said with a sigh. "I'm gonna… you know… do a test before I say anything to anyone else."

"A test?" Jake asked, leaning over the seat and raising his eyebrows.

"You know, one of those internet compatibility tests." Katy lied with a shrug, saying the first thing that came into her head. The boy gave her a disgusted look and returned to his seat, continuing his conversation with Alex as though it had never been interrupted.

"Good plan. Don't worry, I won't say anything." Lauren promised in a soft voice. Katy smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you."

'_Stones taught me to fly_

_Love, it taught me to lie_

_Life, it taught me to die_

_So it's not hard to fall_

_When you float like a cannonball'_


	85. Chapter 85

"So? Did you have a good time?" Roxy asked the girls as they piled into the back of her car outside the school gates.

"Yeah, thanks." Lauren said with a smile. Katy nodded, trying to rearrange her features so that they agreed with what she was trying to convey to her sister. Roxy looked a little confused, but didn't comment on the teenager's silence.

"By the way, I wanted to ask the pair of you if you fancied working at R&R while you're on half term. Lauren you can't do bar work, obviously, but I'll pay you to set up and stuff."

"Every day?" Katy asked interestedly.

"Most days." Roxy replied noncommittally.

"Sounds good." Lauren nodded and grinned. "I'll do it, thanks Roxy."

"Yeah, alright." Katy said shrugging.

"Well if you don't want it…" Roxy snapped, glaring at her sister in the mirror. Katy forced herself to smile.

"Of course I do! Thanks, Rox." She said, appeasing her sister. Roxy seemed satisfied with this and returned her gaze to the road.

Before long they'd arrived back in Albert Square. Katy gave Lauren a quick hug goodbye and the younger girl walked across the Square to her house. Then the two Mitchell women went into the flat where Katy lived with Ronnie. The first thing the teenager did when she got in was to pick her baby nephew out of his carry cot and swing him up into the air. He smiled broadly at her.

"Hello little man!" She said beaming down at him. "Did you miss me?"

He was nearly two months old now and he was looking more and more like a Mitchell every day. He had Ronnie's blonde hair and blue eyes; although Katy was sure that she'd heard that all babies had these features for a while. He also had her nose.

"He looks just like his mummy, doesn't he?" Roxy said, leaning over her shoulder to stroke James' cheek gently.

"Mmmm." Katy murmured. She leant backwards slightly against her sister and closed her eyes. She breathed in, smelling Roxy's perfume. "I'm sorry I was a bit off with you in the car."

"It's OK, babe." Roxy assured her softly. She rested her head against Katy's. "Did something happen while you were away? It's not like you to be so quiet."

"I just felt really ill." Katy half lied. "We got a bit drunk last night in the hotel."

Roxy turned and grinned at her sister. "I knew you'd do something like that!" She laughed.

"I know, I'm predictable, ain't I?" The teenager said, grinning back.

"Trouble, that's what you are." Roxy said fondly, ruffling Katy's hair. The teenager pretended to glare at her sister, but smiled instead. "Anyway, I'm off. Tell Ron I'll come round in the morning to drop Amy off."

About a minute after Roxy had left, Ronnie herself appeared in the living room, wrapped in a towel. She was rubbing her wet hair with another towel and looked surprised to see Katy cradling her son.

"Hey you!" She said her face lighting up as she saw the teenager. "I didn't know you were back sweetie. Did you have a good time?" She pulled her sister into a tight, one armed hug, keeping her other hand firmly holding her towel up.

"Yeah, it was good thanks, Ron." Katy said brightly, returning her sister's hug. "Glad to be home though. And glad it's half term."

"Good." Ronnie removed herself from the girl's grip and retreated to her bedroom. "Can you feed James while I get dressed? Thanks, sweetie."

Humming, Katy put James gently in his carry cot and started mixing his formula. She did it without thinking, completely naturally. After warming it up, she tested the temperature on her hand before scooping her nephew up and starting to feed him.

As he lay in her arms, greedily drinking from the bottle, Katy thought about how easily dealing with James came to her. For the first time since the thought had entered her head, the idea that she could be pregnant didn't terrify her. The hand attached to the arm that was supporting the young boy rested gently on her stomach and she moved her index finger slowly back and forth, rubbing it.

"I don't want to know." She whispered to herself. "Not yet, I don't want to know."

Katy knew it was stupid, but she wanted to put her worries about being pregnant to the back of her mind, at least for a few weeks. If she was, it was less than two months. She had a few weeks before she needed to think about anything.

"What's silly Auntie Katy done now, hey?" She muttered softly to James. "And what's silly Auntie Katy going to do?"

"Hmmm?" Ronnie murmured coming back into the room and hearing the end of her sister's words.

"Oh, nothing." Katy said casually. "I was just talking to myself, nothing new there."

"Auntie Katy's a funny one, isn't she?" Ronnie said with a smile at James as she lifted him out of the teenager's arms and held him against her shoulder, rubbing his back to wind him. "I'm going to settle James down and then you're going to tell me all about your trip." Ronnie commanded with a smile at her sister.

Katy nodded and smiled back, already working out a censored version of the two days in her head. She hated how easy she found it to lie to her sisters, but she would do it anyway without thinking.


	86. Chapter 86

Lauren and Katy worked on Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the club. Roxy gave them Tuesday off, but Katy worked the shift that night so that her sister could have a night at home with Amy. On Wednesday morning, to repay her sister for the favour, Roxy had promised to take Katy shopping up West. They'd bumped into Glenda on their way over to the Salon and she'd invited herself along.

Roxy was furious because the Salon was still closed after nine and the suppliers were hammering on the door. She'd marched over to the Brannings' and given Jodie a piece of her mind there and then. They'd popped home to sort a few things and then, on their way to go shopping Roxy had insisted on going to check up on her staff. She was still furious, which Katy always found amusing.

"Where's Kim?" Roxy asked Jodie. The beautician looked as though she were a rabbit caught in the headlights of a speeding car. Katy grinned slightly and shook her head. She moved as Kim herself came through the Salon door, shot her a wink and carefully hung her coat on the stand.

"_You called?"_ Kim said as though she'd been there all along. Katy stifled a giggle and looked away from Glenda's piercing eyes as she turned to look sternly at the teenager.

"_I've already wasted nine minutes of my lunch hour. If I don't get a Panini soon –"_ Glenda started, but Roxy held up her hand to stop her mother.

"_Mum, hold on a minute. Why wasn't it open in here this morning, Kim?"_ She asked fiercely. Katy could almost see the cogs whirring in her sister's employee's head.

"_Eurgh, mate, I had the trots, it was…"_ Kim said pulling a face. Katy snorted with silent laughter behind her sister's back.

"_Oh, please, spare us."_ Glenda moaned looking disgusted. Roxy didn't look convinced by the story, but she didn't challenge it.

"_Why's it empty in here?"_

"_Well that's a whole heap of questions, init?"_ Kim said, echoing Katy's thoughts. She was getting bored of waiting around and just wanted to go up West and do some shopping like her sister had promised.

"_Is this a joke?"_ Roxy exploded as the door opened behind Katy and Tanya came in. She and Katy exchanged a look and the teenager rolled her eyes. _"Listen, you two had better buck up your ideas, alright, because this is not good enough!"_

"_Being the boss sucks sometimes, don't it."_ Tanya said lightly. Katy widened her eyes and smiled at her best friend's mother, but Tanya looked awkward as Glenda turned slowly and shot her one of her trademark looks. Katy exhaled sharply.

"_Depends who your staff are!"_ Roxy shouted, aiming her words at Kim who looked back calmly. Katy rolled her eyes once more at Glenda and felt her sisters' mother pushing her through the door.

"Well that was fun." She said sarcastically when they were out on the street. Roxy shot her a look but said nothing. Glenda on the other hand couldn't resist sticking her oar in.

"You don't know anything about business." She snapped haughtily at the teenager. "Wait until you understand things before you go poking your nose in."

Katy rolled her eyes yet again, apparently something she did most of the time in Glenda's company, and followed the two blondes down the road wordlessly.

x

"_Look at this," _Roxy said waving her booted foot around in the air, _"three days and three nights in flats. That, mother, is how lame my life is." _

The three of them had only made it as far as the café and, after a cake and drink couldn't be bothered to move. Katy rolled her eyes as her sister spoke. Roxy had aimed the words at Glenda because she knew she would get far more sympathy from her than her younger sister.

"_Well heels are always more flattering."_ Glenda said with a sigh. _"Especially if you've got cankles."_

Katy snorted into her tea, almost choking at the older woman's words. Roxy turned slowly to look at her mother, a murderous look on her face.

"_I do not have cankles."_ She said annoyed. _"Oh! I can't believe I run a two-bit salon stuffed with bogof blue rinses."_ She moaned, letting the insult go immediately. Katy was almost disappointed that she was so easily distracted. _"Meanwhile, Shirley is swanning about the Square spending my cash on her tacky wedding! I feel like getting those dresses and shoving them in the canal." _She said banging her hand on the table.

Katy jumped at the sound and glanced around. Whitney had just joined Janine at the table behind them and Katy smiled at her friend, but Whitney ignored her. Annoyed, Katy turned her frustrations onto her sister and Glenda.

"It's not just your cash, is it?" She snapped. "Some of it was mine and all. I could do with that money as well, you know."

Roxy opened her mouth to say something, but Glenda ignored the teenager's words and started speaking almost before she'd even finished. _"Right now, focus on the thing you can control; the salon. It's got one massive plus point."_

"_Yeah, you get free blow-drys."_ Roxy said raising her eyebrows cynically. Glenda looked exasperated and Katy slumped sulkily in her chair.

"_No Phil, no Ronnie."_ Glenda said as though explaining something very simple to a particularly stupid child. _"It's all yours; lock, stock and hot brush."_

"_Very clever."_ Roxy said, not looking totally as though she understood what Glenda was talking about.

"Why does 'no Ronnie' matter so much?" Katy snapped, not liking the way Glenda had said it.

Before either of them could answer, Janine fainted into the new GP's arms and all three Mitchells started laughing.

"_That girl is such a drama queen!"_ Glenda exclaimed in amusement. Katy laughed in agreement and Whitney shot her a filthy look. Katy raised her eyebrows feistily; the girl had no right to be angry with her after all the messages Katy had left on Whitney's phone.

"Are we going down the West End or not?" Katy asked when their amusement died down. Roxy pulled her sweetest, most innocent face and batted her eyelashes.

"I really can't be bothered, babe." She said, almost pleading with her sister not to mind too much. "And what with Kim and Jodie… I just need to sort the salon out."

"Don't worry. I'll just go and see if Lauren wants to do anything." Katy said with a grin. She kissed the top of Roxy's head and went out into the Square to look for her best friend.


	87. Chapter 87

Lauren had been looking for Katy and the pair of them had bumped into each other outside the café. After a brief discussion, they'd decided to head back to Lauren's and watch a movie; the Branning house might be busy, but it was bigger than Katy's flat. There was far more space for the girls to hang out and less chance of them being interrupted.

"What d'you fancy watching then?" Lauren asked as they headed slowly towards number 5. Katy shrugged and pulled a chip out of the bag her friend was carrying. She shoved it into her mouth, pulling a face as she realised it was too hot.

"Ow!" She cried. Lauren laughed as Katy pulled the chip out of her mouth and threw it on the ground.

"Mitchell, that is gross!" Lauren laughed, pushing the older girl gently. Katy started laughing too and pushed her friend back.

"Give us another one." Katy reached over and took another chip from Lauren's bag. This time she waved it elaborately around in the air to cool it down, making them both crack up even more.

"'_Ere, how much for these?"_ They suddenly heard Whitney ask the guy on the jewellery stall. Katy exchanged looks with Lauren and they stopped laughing abruptly. Finally they'd be able to talk to Whitney without her getting away.

"_I'll go twenty."_ The guy said. Whitney sighed, but started removing the chains from around her neck. Katy frowned as she did so; Whitney never took them off.

"_Alright?"_ Lauren said brightly. Beside her, Katy smiled.

"_Yeah, great."_ Whitney said unenthusiastically handing her jewellery over. She barely even looked at Katy.

"_D'you wanna do something?"_ Lauren asked, doing her best to ignore the horrible mood that their friend seemed to be in. Whitney ignored her and took the money that was being offered to her. _"Drinks are on you, then."_ Lauren said smiling.

"Or we could go cinema or something?" Katy added with a grin. "You can obviously afford it!"

"_We ain't all got parents who'll look after us 'til we're thirty, Lauren."_ Whitney said glaring furiously at them. "And we ain't all got sisters who'll give us money whenever we want it."

"_You never take them chains off."_ Lauren said, verbalising what Katy had been thinking and not rising to the bait. _"Things must be bad."_

"_When ain't they?"_ Whitney snapped pushing past the girls and heading off down the street.

"_Whitney?"_ Lauren called after her. The teenager stopped and looked back, almost on the verge of tears.

"_Sorry, I'm just really under it today."_ She said, looking sadly at the pair of them. They watched her walk away quickly and then turned themselves and headed to the café. With nothing better to do it was as good a place as any to waste some time. As they made their way there, they saw Janine leaving the building and heading in their direction.

"_It's none of my business,"_ Lauren said venomously to Janine as they reached her, _"but why can't you just do Whitney a favour and send her back home? Bianca's in prison, her real mum is a waste of oxygen and she's selling her stuff on the market. I didn't think things could get much worse, but then she moved in with you."_

Janine looked amusedly at the teenagers. _"And what would jumped up little students like you know?"_ She asked pointedly.

"_Well nothing compared to Whitney, but then again I haven't been abandoned and abused." _Lauren said. Katy grabbed her arm and pulled her away, shaking her head.

"She ain't worth it, Lor. Janine's just a total waste of space." Katy said, leaning against the brick wall. "She don't care about anyone; not you, not me, not Whit."

"I know…" Lauren said sighing. Then she grinned. "Made me feel better though. I need to find my mum; I'll catch you later, yeah?"

Katy nodded and watched Lauren walk away in the direction of the salon. She smiled and shook her head.

x

"Right, tomorrow how about you, me and some of the other guys have a scary film night?" Lauren suggested when they met up again about an hour later to watch the film after all. Katy had insisted on _Wild Target_, her new favourite film, mainly because Rupert Grint was in it. Katy was in love with the actor.

"Can we make it in the day?" Katy asked, reaching over and grabbing a handful of kettle chips from the bowl beside Lauren.

"Why? Too scary in the dark?" Her friend teased.

"No!" Katy shoved her gently in the ribs. "I promised Rox I'd work tomorrow night."

"Aww! Can't you get out of it?"

"Nah… She could do with the time off while I can cover." Katy shrugged. She felt bad about letting her sister down, especially as Roxy was paying her over the odds for doing bar work. "Why don't we make it a marathon? All day, all night horror movies? Then I could leave and come back again."

"That sounds good." Lauren said nodding slowly. The more she thought about Katy's suggestion, the more she liked the sound of it. "Right, it's a plan. I'll get on to the others."

She uncurled her legs and left the living room, pulling out her mobile. Katy watched her leave, shrugged and returned her attention to the sight of Rupert Grint in the bath on the screen. She smiled to herself and shuffled herself into the sofa, making herself comfortable. When Lauren returned, she paused the film and settled herself back on the sofa.

"OK, Jake and Alex are going to watch some footy match or something tomorrow, Emma and Fin are being all lovey-dovey, but Seb and Fat Boy are in. I couldn't get hold of Mercy, but I'll try ringing her tomorrow." She said, scooping popcorn out of the bag and popping a piece into her mouth as she finished speaking.

"Cool. We're on then." Katy said grinning. "Can we watch a bit of Rupert now, please?"


	88. Chapter 88

_**Thanks to everyone for commenting and to **__**AlexGinny1 for the 100**__**th**__** comment! Hope you're still enjoying the story… don't forget to keep reviewing! :) **_

Katy was sitting at the kitchen table in the Brannings' house on Thursday morning when Whitney arrived. Max was pouring them both a tea and Lauren was on the phone to Mercy, arranging their scary movie marathon.

"Hey, Katy." Whitney said with a smile, then she noticed Lauren's dad and added, _"Oh, you alright, Max." _

"_Morning Whit, you alright? Want a cup of tea?_" Max said, barely looking up from what he was doing. Whitney looked a little uncomfortable, but smiled gratefully anyway. Katy noticed that she was twisting the handle of her bag in her hands constantly but didn't mention it because she was relieved to see her friend almost back to normal.

"_Yeah, thanks."_

"_Sugar?"_

"_No."_

Katy almost laughed at the ordinariness of the conversation. It was refreshing to hear one that wasn't heated or full of new and extraordinary information that her brain would struggle to digest.

"Alright, Whit?" Katy asked, smiling as they waited for Lauren to get off the phone. She was talking about how they'd set the right atmosphere for the films.

"Yeah, thanks." She still looked very nervous, which made her friend more curious.

"Heard from Bianca lately?" Katy asked, knowing how much Whitney was missing her step-mother.

"_Oh._" Whitney said, changing the subject and motioning towards Lauren. "_What's she planning?_"

"_Dunno._" Max said shortly, still focused on the mugs of tea. "_Not sure I wanna know._"

"… _Fat Boy's in and so's my mate Seb who's really really hot. Alright, bye._" Lauren said and hung up. Max handed Whitney her tea, put Katy's on the table with a fleeting smile and then settled himself at the table opposite her with his tea and the paper.

"_Screen fest._" Lauren said with a grin. She winked at Katy as her father spoke.

"_English?_" Max asked, confused.

"_Horror movies… back to back, all day, all night."_ Lauren elaborated. Max didn't looked convinced.

"_Funny… I don't remember being asked._" He seemed more interested in his paper, however than talking to the three teenage girls.

"_Umm… that's because it's teens only._" Lauren said grinning at Katy, who took a sip of tea and smirked back. She caught Max's unamused eye and lowered her gaze to her drink. "_You up for it, Whit?_"

"_Err… well I don't think the others are gonna want me there._" She said. Katy pulled a face and Lauren put one hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow.

"_My house, my rules._" Lauren said casually. "_Vanessa, Darren and Jodie are going out. All we need to do now is get rid of the old boy and we're in horror heaven._"

"_What you talking about, old boy?_" Max asked annoyed. Lauren grinned at her friends who tried their best to hide their giggles behind their mugs of tea. "_I'm a man in his prime._" He added as his phone began to ring. "And I make you too many mugs of tea for you to laugh at my daughter's jokes, Katy." He said with a wink at Katy who grinned back as he left the room.

"_You got the… err…_" Whit asked as soon as Max had gone. Katy furrowed her brow, confused.

"_Oh, right, yeah._" Lauren said starting to rummage around in her bag. "_I got some money off my mum. I had to buy some stuff for the fest, so this is all I've got left, does that help?_" she asked, handing over a tenner. Whitney's face fell as she realised that was all Lauren was offering her.

"_Yeah, yeah it helps massively. Thanks._" She said brightly, but Katy knew she was lying. With a sigh she pulled out her own purse and handed Whitney twenty pounds.

"It's all I've got, but take it, yeah?" She said awkwardly. She didn't want it to look as though she was trying to outdo Lauren, but Whitney looked like she really needed the money. Lauren smiled at her, reassuring Katy that she wasn't annoyed. Whitney looked touched.

"Thank you, both of you." The teenager said gratefully. "I better go, I'll see ya."

Katy looked at Lauren as the front door closed behind her. "You reckon she'll come later?"

"No idea." Lauren said with a shrug.

x

The two girls had met Seb at the station and the three of them walked to the café to meet Fat Boy and Mercy, ready for their horror fest. They hadn't heard anything more from Whitney, so they assumed that if she'd decided to come she was just going to turn up.

Lauren introduced Seb to the others and they started chatting about the films they had to watch. Katy was highly amused by the way Mercy and Lauren were both acting; she admitted that Seb was cute, but they were behaving as though they'd never seen a cute guy before, Mercy especially. If Katy didn't know better she'd swear that Fat Boy was jealous.

Max appeared to talk to Lauren. Tactfully Katy carried on the conversation with the other three while they were talking, although she caught the gist of their words; Max wanted Lauren to hold the fort at the car lot.

"_Whit._" Lauren called suddenly over her shoulder. "_D'you fancy a job?_" Whitney beamed and nodded eagerly. Max sighed for a minute before beckoning her over and leading her out of the café. Katy felt guilty that she hadn't even noticed the teenager sitting at the table in the corner.

"D'you think that's a good idea?" Mercy asked carefully. Katy gave her a hard look.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Katy demanded, slightly overeager in her loyalty to her friend.

"Nah… I was just…" Mercy said slightly uncomfortably.

"Should we… go and get started?" Seb said, trying to defuse the situation that might be about to blow up.

"Yeah." Lauren said with a smile.

She stood up and the five of them made their way to the Brannings' house. Katy drew the curtains and Lauren set up the DVD. Then they passed around the drinks and the snacks and messed around for a while, not really watching the first film. When it ended, Fat Boy suggested he went to fetch Whitney, which her best friends decided was a very good idea.


	89. Chapter 89

Katy was surveying Mercy and Seb with a scrutinising eye. She knew how much Lauren liked him and was determined to set the pair up, but at the moment it was looking as though Mercy might get in there first. Fat Boy seemed to think so too because when he arrived back with Whitney in tow he kept sending the pair dirty looks.

Whitney sat next to Mercy, who was sat beside Seb, on the sofa with Fat Boy kneeling on the floor on her other side. To the amusement of the others, Fat Boy was clutching a cushion and moaning loudly at, what Seb pointed out, were just the trailers.

"_Who you texting?_" Lauren asked leaning over the back of the sofa to see what Whitney was doing.

"_Oh, no one, Lauren, just that guy that's out of my league._" Whitney replied, winking at Katy who was sitting on the floor with her back against one of the armchairs. Katy grinned and stuck her tongue out at Lauren.

"_You're wasting your time, trust me._" Lauren joked, pulling the phone out of her friend's hands.

"_Lauren!_"

"_Honestly, save your credit._"

Whitney was prevented from replying by Fat Boy, who started moaning again at the sight on the screen, making Katy almost choke on the crisp she was eating. Seb whacked her on the back and she grinned at him gratefully, earning herself glares from Lauren and Mercy.

Mercy's reaction to Seb paying Katy attention was to start flirting with him in a completely over-the-top way. In fact it made Katy squirm in her seat. She and Lauren exchanged a look, as did Fat Boy and Whitney. Then the he starting going on about how pretty Whitney was looking. Katy had to look away from Lauren or she knew the pair of them would burst out laughing. Mercy looked annoyed and Seb just looked confused.

As the film started, Mercy grabbed Seb's hand and Lauren shot Katy a look which plainly said, 'Kitchen, now.' She also squeezed Whitney's shoulder and the three of them made their way into the privacy of the kitchen to discuss their plan of action.

"_Ok, I need your advice._" Lauren said, addressing her best friends. Whitney leant against the counter by the sink and Katy stood just behind her, resting her chin on her friend's shoulder. "_I really like Seb._"

"_You sure he's not out of your league?_" Whitney joked. Katy grinned and jabbed her lightly in the ribs.

"_Ha ha._" Lauren said. "_Look, how do I make him like me?_"

"_I'm not an expert, Lauren._" Whitney said laughing.

"Don't look at me, either!" Katy said grinning. "If you met some of my exes you would definitely not be asking me for advice!"

"_Compared to me you are!_" Lauren persisted looking at the pair pleadingly. She pestered them until they promised to think of an idea. Then they returned to the living room and watched the film until it got too gruesome and they escaped back into the kitchen again. They could hear Fat Boy screaming from there, even with the door shut.

"Oh my days, that film is gross!" Katy said, getting a couple of beers out of the fridge. Whitney nodded, but Lauren's mind was on other things.

"_Did you see Mercy drooling all over him? Eurgh! She's like a tramp on chips._" Lauren said venomously. Katy started to laugh at her friend's use of words and it was down to Whitney to offer advice.

"_Well you need to get her interested in Fat Boy._" Whitney told her. This made Katy laugh even more, so she missed the next few exchanges in the conversation. "_Go in there and say, 'Seb, I've got a problem that requires your help'._"

"_What kind of problem?_" Lauren asked, grinning.

"Plumbing… or some other manly thing." Katy said with a grin. "Make him feel special."

Whitney rolled her eyes. "_Just get him alone and make your feelings known._"

"_How?_" Lauren asked.

"How?" Katy repeated as though she couldn't believe Lauren needed to ask.

"_How?_" Whitney echoed, obviously mirroring Katy's thoughts.

"_Lauren, kiss him._" Whitney and Katy said at the same time.

The three of them laughed and left the kitchen to re-join the others. There was a loud banging on the front door. It was Janine, shouting for Whitney. Katy rolled her eyes, gave Lauren a reassuring squeeze on the arm as she passed her and left the other two to deal with the woman while she deliver Seb his beer. She went to sit in front of Whitney's space on the sofa.

After a minute or so the four of them in the living room heard a commotion from the hallway. Katy wondered whether she should do something, but then she heard Max's voice and the front door slamming and decided that she would just get in the way. Then Lauren came back into the living room and settled herself on the floor beside Katy.

"What's going on?" Katy whispered, fixing concerned eyes on Lauren.

"Janine turned up, totally off her head and started having a massive go at Whit, going on about her not being as pretty as she thinks and stuff. It was horrible." Lauren told her in a low voice.

"Poor Whit. Is she OK?"

"Yeah, Dad got rid of Janine and he's making sure Whit's alright." Lauren said with a nod. They turned their attention back to the film. Mercy and Seb were still flirting, which Katy could see was driving her friend mad. "_Umm… Seb. I've got a problem and I was wondering if you could help me with it?_" Lauren asked after a moment or two. Katy grinned and shot her a wink.

"_Err… we're halfway through a film?_" Mercy said in disbelief. "_Ask Fat Boy._"

"_I'm asking Seb._" Lauren said annoyed. Neither of them answered and Katy could see that Lauren was upset. She leant back, harder than normal and dug her elbow into Mercy's leg.

"OUCH!" The girl cried, rubbing her shin furiously.

"I'm so sorry, Merce." Katy said, pulling her most apologetic face. When Mercy's attention was back on the film, Lauren squeezed Katy's shoulder and they made their way towards the kitchen.

"Thanks." Lauren said in a low voice, squeezing Katy's hand. "Let's go and check on Whit."

They opened the kitchen door. Katy's mouth dropped open as she realised what she was seeing. Whitney was pressing Max up against the back door, her hands on his face, kissing him. As the door opened, she looked round guiltily.

In one movement Lauren had crossed the room and dragged Whitney away from her dad, pushing her backwards. Katy held onto her, half restraining, half comforting her friend as she looked between the three other people in the room, trying to understand the situation.

"_What the hell are you doing?_" Lauren demanded. No one answered. Katy pulled Whitney out of the kitchen, closing the door and leaving Lauren and Max to talk.

"Whit, go home." She said firmly. "Go back to Ricky and Bianca's, with your family. We'll work all this out when everyone's calmed down. OK?"

In shock, Whitney nodded and left the house. Sighing, Katy went into the living room, turned the light on and the TV off and made Fat Boy, Mercy and Seb leave. She refused to answer their questions, just kicked them out of the house, shutting the door firmly. Leaning against it, she wondered whether she'd ever be able to do something normal without it descending into some disaster or another. Then she pulled out her mobile to phone Roxy. She'd have to grovel before her sister forgave her for bailing on her shift, but she couldn't leave Lauren like this.


	90. Chapter 90

After the events of the evening before, Katy had stayed over at Tanya and Greg's with Lauren. At first she had been a bit awkward about being around at such a difficult time, but Tanya had asked her to stay and keep Lauren company. The teenager couldn't refuse when someone asked her so directly to do something, so she ended up sleeping over.

The next morning, the teenagers had gone with Tanya to open up the salon. Lauren was convinced that Max was completely to blame for the events and refused to listen to any of his explanations. She had told Katy and Tanya, between being angry and upset, that he was doing it again. Her best friend understood, after Tanya filling her in on certain details, why Lauren was so upset and was finding it difficult to see any possibility that Max was telling the truth.

"_If it was anyone else I might have believed him._" Tanya said, typing something into the computer on the reception desk before setting out towels on the benches.

"_I was in the next room as well._" Lauren said in a subdued voice. Katy said nothing, feeling slightly uncomfortable about intruding into the conversation. Instead she moved over to one of the 'stations' as Roxy liked to call them and sat down in one of the chairs.

"_Well, I tell you, he can make all the excuses he likes. He's made so many over the years, he's starting to repeat himself. You know, it's never his fault, is it? Not ever._ " Tanya almost ranted, arranging things neatly.

"_Argh… if I hadn't of walked in…_" Lauren started, pulling a face at the prospect of what might have happened. She looked at Katy who pulled a similar face.

"Eurgh." The older girl said in agreement, shaking her head.

"_Let's just hope Vanessa sees sense and ditches him. But for now, you and Abs are moving in with me_." Tanya commanded bustling around the salon. Lauren gave her mother a weak smile and Katy twirled around in the chair, wondering whether things really were as black and white as they seemed. She knew more than most that they generally weren't.

"I better get home." Katy said after a couple of minutes of silence. "Ronnie's probably got something for me to do and if she don't Rox will." She smiled at the pair and left them in the salon, heading towards the flat. As she let herself in, she heard Ronnie singing along to the radio.

"Alright, sweetie?" She said with a smile as she looked up to see her younger sister in the living room.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Katy said giving her sister a quick hug. Ronnie looked down at her, pleasantly surprised.

"What was that for?" She asked. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I dunno…" Katy said with a shrug, still clinging onto her sister. "I just felt like I needed a hug."

"Awww. Now come and eat some lunch and then I've got an errand for you." Ronnie said holding Katy at arm's length. The teenager grinned at the words; she had known there would be something for her to do.

Ronnie served up two bowls of spicy carrot soup and they ate. While they did so, Katy told her older sister everything that had happened between going to Lauren's the day before and coming home not long ago.

"I know Max has got form," Ronnie said slowly, licking the last drops of soup off her spoon as she thought about what she was saying, "but I can't see him trying it on with Whitney. She's just a kid, isn't she? Not much older than Lauren. I doubt Max would do that."

"Mmmm…" Katy agreed hesitantly. "That's what I thought… But why would Whit throw herself at Lauren's dad… her best friend's dad?"

Ronnie saw that Katy was troubled by the situation and didn't know how to answer the question. She picked up the bowls and went to the sink. Without answering she began to wash them up, carefully rinsing off all the suds slowly.

"Go and put the telly on." She said with a smile. "I think we could both do with a little distraction for a while."

Katy smiled and the sisters curled up together on the sofa watching an old film that was on one of the channels. Neither of them were particularly interested in the movie, but they sat in silence watching it anyway; Katy thinking about Whitney and Ronnie wondering what to say to her sister.

When the credits rolled almost two hours later, Ronnie switched the television off and turned to her sister, smiling warmly. "Right, errand time, I need you to find Roxy and tell her that Mum wants to take us out for dinner tonight."

"Oh, what?" Katy moaned. Going out for dinner with Glenda was her worst nightmare. "Does that include me?"

"Of course it includes you, Katy." Ronnie said sharply. "I don't particularly want to go either, but Mum really wants to do this, so we're going. Now go and tell Rox."

Katy made a hissing sound in her throat to show how much she disliked the prospect of that evening, but did as her sister commanded, blowing a kiss to James as she went.

The obviously places; Roxy and Glenda's flat and R&R showed no sign of the blonde. Katy thought about the salon, but decided to go to the Vic first, seeing as she'd not long left her sister's business.

"You seen Roxy?" Katy asked, leaning over the bar to ask Mo who was working behind the bar.

"Nah, sorry love, she ain't been in." The older woman said shaking her head as she pulled a pint for a customer. Katy sighed and thanked Mo anyway, before turning and catching sight of Whitney sitting in one of the booths with the guy she and Lauren had seen her with a day or so before.

"Alright, Whit?" She said as brightly as she could. She gave Whitney a smile, which her friend returned weakly. The guy she was sitting with stared at her, almost glaring. Confused, Katy returned the suspicious look, before turning away from him to talk to her friend.

"Yeah… this is Rob." Whitney said, almost reluctantly introducing him. "Rob, this is my mate Katy." The guy just nodded at her so Katy didn't feel the need to make any greeting at all.

"You sure you're OK?"

"Have you seen Lauren?" Whitney asked, not answering the question. "She won't answer my calls or texts or the door."

"She's upset, Whit. She doesn't know what to think; Max has got form, but she can't believe you'd try it on with her dad." Katy explained gently.

"I know." Whitney complained sadly. "But I wasn't thinking straight. She could at least answer my calls though."

"Now you know what it feels like." Katy said bluntly. "You didn't return ours for weeks."

"D'you know what," Whitney snapped losing her temper, "I knew you'd be like this. You were obviously going to take Lauren's side over mine."

"I'm not!" Katy protested shocked.

"Just leave me alone, yeah, Katy?" Whitney said, turning away from the teenager and back to her new friend. Rob shot Katy a satisfied smirk and engaged Whitney in conversation again. Very hurt, Katy turned away and started to leave the pub.

"_If you wanted to, if you wanted to get away for a couple of days."_ Katy heard Rob say as she walked away.

"_Yeah, s'pose. Where?"_

"_My place."_ She grimaced at his words and barged through the doors. There was something slimy about the man that she immediately disliked. Outside, her hurt turned to anger. Furiously she made up her mind to go and look for Roxy at the salon.


	91. Chapter 91

As she crossed the Square, Katy muttered angrily to herself. Whitney frustrated her no end. The Mitchell couldn't understand how she couldn't see how much everyone was trying to do for her, how much support and help they were willing to give her if she would just accept it. OK, she was having a tough time and she was missing Bianca, but she was reacting completely the wrong way.

"Is Roxy here?" Katy demanded more rudely than she intended, poking her head around the salon door. Tanya jumped at the voice and dropped the armful of supplies she was carrying, smashing a jar as she did so. Guiltily the teenager crossed the floor and helped to clear up the mess. "Sorry."

"That's alright." Lauren's mother said smiling at the girl. "Roxy just phoned to say she's popping in to see how things are going."

Katy smiled back and then felt her eyes filling with tears. She angrily wiped them away, turning her back on Tanya to stop her seeing them. She was too late, however, and Tanya grabbed her arm.

"Hey…" She said softly. "Oh, darlin', come here." She pulled Katy into a tight hug and held her close. The teenager closed her eyes, sobbing hard, and breathed in Tanya's flowery scent. Her hug was different from Ronnie's or Roxy's, it was even different from Karen's. It was a proper motherly hug, something Katy wasn't used to. Katy didn't know how else to explain it to herself. Held tightly in Tanya's arms, Katy could fool herself into thinking that she was a happy, normal kid being hugged tightly by her mother.

There and then Katy knew the truth; Ronnie was her sister, not her mother. And, inexplicably, she was incredibly relieved. She let out a shuddering sigh and reluctantly disentangled herself from the woman, giving her a weak smile.

"Sorry…" She repeated softly. "I just… There's so much…"

"Whitney?" Tanya asked with a wry smile. Katy nodded, letting the woman wipe the mascara smears off her cheeks with a tissue. It was easier to let Tanya think she was just upset about Whitney and everything that had happened the night before. "Listen, Katy. I've seen her and she explained everything. Lauren might take a while to come round, but she will. Whitney needs you both at the moment, more than she'd ever admit."

Katy nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but the salon door flew open and Roxy appeared. She bounced over to her younger sister and threw an arm casually around her neck, not noticing that Katy had been crying.

"Alright, babe? How's it going, Tanya, good morning?" Roxy said cheerfully, not realising that she'd interrupted a moment between the two. Katy shot Tanya a knowing smile and leant her head against her sister's shoulder as Tanya and Roxy started talking business.

While they talked, Katy thought about things. She found that she was jealous of Lauren. She still had her mum and dad, even if things in their family were a little dysfunctional; then again, whose family wasn't.

"Sorry about last night. Oh, and Ronnie asked me to tell you that Glenda's taking us out for dinner tonight." Katy informed her sister as they headed back to the flat. Her voice was still a little shaky from crying, but she was doing her best to hide her emotions from Roxy and keep her voice steady. Her eyes fell on Whitney standing outside the café with her siblings and she felt a slight jolt inside her, hoping that maybe things were working out for her friend.

"All of us?" Roxy asked.

"I'm guessing so," The teenager shrugged, "you, Amy, Ron, Jack, James, Glenda and me. Although obviously James won't be eating."

"Where?"

"How should I know?" Katy answered shortly. She tried to disguise her bad temper with a small laugh. "The Masoods?"

"Alright. I've got some stuff to do, so I'll catch you later, yeah?" Roxy said looking over her shoulder. Katy rolled her eyes and smiled. She started off in the direction of the flat but changed her mind and headed instead to Lauren's, assuming that her best friend would be grateful of company.

x

"So… are you looking forward to going back to school on Monday?" Glenda asked Katy just as the girl shovelled a forkful of rice and curry into her mouth. Knowing that if she didn't answer Glenda would say she was ignoring her, Katy tried to swallow her food and ended up almost choking. Ronnie sighed as her sister began to cough, patting her firmly on the back.

"Chew, Katy." She said exasperatedly.

"Sorry, sorry." The teenager said, wiping her mouth. "Yeah, I guess so, Glenda. We'll probably be getting a load more work though, seeing as we're getting closer to the exams."

"I'm sure you'll take it in your stride." The older woman said with a quick smile. Katy was immediately suspicious and looked at her sisters for guidance. Ronnie and Roxy looked equally bewildered by their mother's civil, almost caring, behaviour towards the teenager. She didn't like Glenda being 'nice'. It was unnerving. Katy much preferred it when Glenda was being horrible to her; at least she knew where she stood.

"So, Jack, I hear you're going into business with Michael." Glenda said with a smile, turning her attention away from the confused teenager and onto her son-in-law. Jack nodded, smiling slightly. "That must be exciting."

"Yeah, it's always kinda been a dream of mine to open a boxing gym." The man said, glancing at Ronnie who was pushing her dinner around the plate, resolutely staring down at it.

"Even though Michael tried it on with Veronica?" Glenda continued, almost spitefully. Katy looked at her in horror and noticed Ronnie clutching her fork more tightly. The teenager glanced quickly at Roxy, who looked equally stunned.

"Yeah, well… he knows I'm seriously angry about that and he apologised and said he won't try anything again. He likes the ladies but he knows where the line is." Jack said, almost defensively. Ronnie dropped her fork and leant back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest.

"So how's it working out having Tanya as manager at the salon?" Katy asked Roxy quickly, trying to avoid a scene. Roxy grinned at her in relief.

"Yeah, good. She sure knows what she's doing alright. Can I have that last naan?" the blonde asked, pointing at the basket beside Katy. The teenager nodded and reached over the table to hand the bread to her sister. As she did so, however, she accidently knocked over Glenda's wine, spilling the liquid all over the older woman.

"Oops." She muttered, pulling a face. As Katy had expected, Glenda went crazy. She jumped up, knocking her chair over and started dabbing at the wet patch on her skirt with a napkin.

"Look what you've done, you stupid girl!" She shrieked at Katy. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Mum!" Roxy said loudly. "It was an accident, chill out!"

"Honestly." Ronnie snapped. "Everything is about you, isn't it?"

"I'm really sorry!" Katy tried to help dab at the stain with her own napkin, which unfortunately had curry on it and made it worse. Roxy pulled the teenager out of her seat, and she and Ronnie propelled Katy towards the door.

"Come on, let's leave her to it." Ronnie said annoyed. When they were outside, she leant on James' pram and looked hard at her younger sister, an almost non-existent smirk on her face. "Did you do it on purpose?"

"No!" Katy protested. "I promise; it was a complete accident!"

Neither of her sisters looked convinced. If anything they looked grateful that she'd got them out of the situation.


	92. Chapter 92

On Tuesday morning Katy lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling. She'd hardly slept, thinking about everything that was going on; in her own life and everybody else's. Her hands were resting lightly on her stomach, her right thumb slowly moving backwards and forwards, stroking it gently. The teenager had decided to wait a while before doing anything about it, mainly because she was too scared.

"You up?" Ronnie shouted, poking her head around the bedroom door. Katy nodded quickly and gave her a weak smile, thankful that her hands were hidden underneath the duvet. "Then get ready for school."

"Yeah, yeah." Katy said. At least she'd be doing something that would take her mind off life. She hurriedly got dressed and did her hair and make-up. Ronnie offered her breakfast, but she refused. The sight of it made her stomach turn over. Katy had almost perfect silent morning sickness, but she didn't want to tempt fate by eating anything.

"You've got to eat something, sweetie." Ronnie said looking worried at how pale the teenager was.

"I'm fine, don't fuss. Good luck at the counsellor, yeah?" Katy said with a reassuring smile as she left for school. Ronnie returned her smile and kissed her on the forehead as she passed. "You'll be fine, Ron. I promise." The teenager said, the worried look on her sister's face making her instantly feel like she had to look after her.

The day passed with nothing interesting happening at all. When Katy got home, the flat was empty. Not in the mood to be on her own she went to R&R and found Roxy in a foul mood. Apparently Glenda had run off and left her to set up on her own. Katy helped her finish off, but was only too glad to escape back to the flat.

When she got there, however, Ronnie wasn't in a much better mood than her younger sister. She snapped at Katy for the smallest things and looked as though she was close to crying the whole time as well. When Katy asked how the counselling session had been it was the final straw and she threw a cushion at the teenager's head. Taking this as her cue to go to bed, Katy shut herself in her bedroom and stayed there until the next morning, feeling totally alone.

x

As Lauren and Katy messed around in the common room at lunchtime the day after Ronnie's counselling session and everyone's terrible moods, the Mitchell realised her phone was ringing and hastily pulled it out of her pocket.

"Glenda?" She mouthed at Lauren, seeing the name flashing on the display. Her friend shot her an intrigued look back and shuffled closer to try and hear the conversation. "Alright, Grandma? What can I do for you?"

"You can stop calling me Grandma for a start." Glenda snapped on the other end of the phone. "But I've got a proposition for you."

"What kind of proposition?" Katy was suspicious. She doubted any proposal Glenda had for her would end well.

"It's about getting Roxy's money back from Phil."

"Our money." Katy stressed, refusing to lose out, even to her sister.

"Whatever. Are you interested or not?"

Katy hesitated. She knew how much getting it back meant to Roxy and was reluctant to pass up a chance of helping her out. On the other hand, if Glenda wanted Katy's help with her plan then the teenager doubted it was risk free. Or legal.

"Fine. I'm in."

"Good. Meet me at mine at four. I'll tell you everything then." Glenda said.

"I can come earlier." Katy said quickly before Glenda disappeared from the end of the phone. "I'm free this afternoon."

"An hour then, I'll see you here." She didn't wait for Katy to reply before she hung up. The teenager looked at Lauren.

"That was weird."

x

"_This is ridiculous."_ Roxy snapped as she, Katy and Glenda hid around a corner from the back of Number 55. Katy grinned at how jumpy her sister and the older woman were.

"_Where's your sense of adventure?"_ Glenda asked, trying to act casually. They peeked round the edge of the wall and the older woman decided it was safe to move. _"OK, come on."_ She said, pulling Roxy out into the road by her arm. They were halfway across when they spotted Phil, Shirley and Heather leaving the house and retreated behind the wall.

"Seriously, you need to chill out or people will get suspicious!" Katy told the other two shaking her head in amusement. "You're just winding yourselves up."

"Alright, Little Miss breaking-and-entering 2011." Roxy snapped. Glenda just shot the teenager an exasperated look. If they hadn't needed her help or as she suspected, a scape-goat if it went wrong, Katy doubted Glenda would even have told her the plan.

"_OK, coast is clear."_ Glenda said, deciding they were safe and they started out again. Katy was grinning at the fear she could feel radiating from the two blondes.

"_You're really getting off on this, aren't you?_" Roxy snapped at her mother as they hurried across the road.

"_I'm just trying to get back what's rightfully yours._"

"_How are we even going to get in? What are we gonna break a window, pick the locks._" Roxy glanced at Katy who raised her eyebrows and smiled at her sister. There wasn't even a security alarm on Number 55; she'd be able to get in no problems.

"I can if you want?" She asked with a cheeky grin. She looked towards Glenda for confirmation that this was what she was needed for, but the older woman just sighed and rolled her eyes, pulling out a set of keys and shaking them at the two younger women.

"_No need._" She said simply and unlocked the door in seconds. Roxy's mouth fell open and she glanced around making sure they hadn't been seen. Katy followed suit before shrugging and following the other two in, making sure the door was closed firmly behind them.

"What am I here for, then?" She asked confused. Neither of the others answered so Katy sighed and made her way through the house. Glenda and Roxy went into the living room while Katy walked out to the kitchen. She made sure that the back door was locked to prevent any nasty surprises. Then she went to join the others.

"_Will you shut up and help me find the safe?_" Roxy demanded in a hushed voice as Katy entered the room. Both blondes jumped as she appeared and Glenda shot her a dirty look. The teenager grinned at their nervous reactions.

"_Well let's look behind the pictures._" Glenda suggested. "_That's where they keep them in the movies._"

Roxy and Katy exchanged exasperated looks at her suggestion.

"_Pictures?_" Roxy muttered in disbelief.

"Who the hell keeps a safe behind a picture in real life?" Katy asked, snorting in amusement.

"You tell me, you're the expert, apparently." Glenda retorted. Katy didn't reply, she just pulled a face at the woman's back and started checking behind the pictures on the walls anyway.


	93. Chapter 93

"_Oi, mum!_" Roxy said in amazement after a few moments searching. She took down a horrible red painting and revealing a safe in the wall behind. Katy stared with a mixture of astonishment that Phil was such a cliché and annoyance that Glenda had been right. The older woman shot her a satisfied smirk.

"_Well thank heavens for Phil's lack of imagination._" She said smiling broadly at the discovery. Katy crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "_OK… let's get this open and take what's yours."_

"How are you going to do that, genius?" Katy asked, raising her eyebrows.

Glenda was holding up a key. The sisters looked at her in confusion. There was a number pad on the front of the safe and they didn't know the combination. From her experience Katy knew that without that key information, you were screwed.

"_Oh._" The older blonde said as she realised the problem.

"_Great plan, mum, great plan. Can we just go now, please?_"

"_No no no!_" Glenda held up her hand to stop the younger women leaving. "_Wait! Phil is not the brightest tool in the box, so he would have used something obvious."_

Roxy raised her eyebrows and looked unenthusiastically at the safe. Katy knew that she wished she was anywhere but there and she had to agree. Robbing was one thing, but when it was from your own family and you could get caught any minute it was something else; even when the family member in question had stolen from you in the first place.

"_Try the club code._" Glenda commanded, looking pleased with herself at the idea. With a sharp exhalation of breath, Roxy typed in the code. 'Error' flashed on the display.

"_Ok, please can we just go now?_" Roxy begged. She looked at Katy who shrugged. Glenda looked as though she was reluctant to leave. She set her face determinately and glared at the safe.

"Glenda… Rox is right. There's no point just putting in random numbers. If we try too many it might just lock us out completely." Katy warned her. "And then Phil will know that someone's been here."

"Do you not want to get even?" Glenda hissed, typing in some more numbers. Once again, 'Error' flashed up on the screen.

"Course I do." Katy snapped. "But we might as well think about it, take our time and try and work out what the code might be."

"She's right, mum." Roxy hissed, looking nervously around. As the safe beeped again, Roxy started panicking. "Right, OK, enough please! Can we just go now?"

"_We are not leaving without the money!_" Glenda said firmly, reaching up to type in more numbers. Katy shifted from foot to foot anxiously. She moved to the window, peering out at the street.

"_Mum! Why is this so important to you?_"

"_All my life I've not done the right thing by you girls, and now I've got a chance to._" Glenda said, putting her bag down on the pool table. Katy turned away from the window to listen to her properly. "_I'm not going to stand by and let Phil make a fool of you._"

As her mother returned to the safe, Roxy sighed and glanced at Katy who raised her eyebrows and shrugged. The teenager wasn't convinced by Glenda's words; she never did anything for anyone else when there wasn't something in it for her. Then again, maybe Glenda did just want to help her younger daughter get her money back.

Katy's eyes fell on the photos on the cabinet in front of her. The one at the front made her mouth drop open. She pointed at it. For a moment Roxy stared at her, not understanding what she meant. Then the penny dropped and she moved to Glenda's side, grabbing her arm.

"_Ben's birthday._" She said in the same low voice. Katy moved to Glenda's other side, holding her breath. "_21 03._" The safe made a different noise this time and all three women laughed in surprise and relief as the door opened.

"_There's loads here!_" Glenda said as they opened the safe and saw stacks of bundles of notes sitting inside the safe. Katy swore, louder than she'd meant too; she'd never seen so much money in one place before.

"_OK._" Roxy said shaking. "_All right, all right, all right._" She started grabbing the bundles. "_Let me just take what I'm owed… and let's get out of here. There, that should do it. Right…_"

Behind her back, Glenda and Katy exchanged a look. They weren't going to settle for a mere £20 grand when there was so much in the safe. They wanted revenge.

"_Let's go. Come on! Let's go._" Roxy said, wondering why her mother and sister hadn't moved. "_Mum!_"

"Rox…" Katy started, lifting a hand and running her fingers over the paper.

"_Well, while we're here we could always, err… help ourselves to a little extra._" Glenda said smirking and raising one eyebrow. Roxy looked shocked but Katy grinned. She stuffed a couple of bundles into her hoody pocket and passed a couple more to her sister. Roxy pushed the teenager out of the way, replacing the money in the safe.

"_If we take more then we're just stealing from Phil_." She snapped.

"_And?_" Glenda looked as though she didn't see the problem. For once, Katy agreed with her.

"Come on, Rox. It's not like he doesn't deserve it." Katy said seriously.

"_That makes us no better than him._"

"_He owes us._" Glenda said in a hard voice, starting to take the money.

"_Us?_" Roxy asked. She glanced at Katy, who was just as confused and shrugged.

"What do you mean, 'us'?" The teenager demanded suspiciously.

"_I thought this was about me?_" Roxy said, almost sounding hurt. "Me and Katy?"

"Typical." Katy spat. "I knew there was something more to it than her wanting to help."

"_So what's this, more stock taking?_" A familiar voice said behind them. All three women froze, their eyes widening. Katy instinctively reached out and squeezed Roxy's hand. The blonde woman held onto her sister tightly.


	94. Chapter 94

With a deep breath, Katy turned to face her cousin, keeping her chin up defiantly. Slowly Roxy and Glenda followed suit, not meeting his eyes.

"_How'd you get in here, eh?_" Phil demanded. "_Now you've got ten seconds to explain yourselves, otherwise you're gonna be eating through straws._"

Roxy and Katy looked at Glenda, who looked back at them with wide eyes. Roxy cleared her throat, squeezing Katy's hand even more tightly.

"_Nice try, Phil, but I know you stole my money._" She said as bravely as she could. "Our money, mine and Katy's."

"_Why would you think that I took your money?_" The man asked, looking genuinely as though he was somewhere between confused and hurt at the accusation. Katy was thrown for a minute, his expression mixed with her natural suspicion of anything Glenda said meaning that she suddenly thought that perhaps the woman was lying.

"_Because it's the truth._" Glenda said quickly. Her response seemed too quick and even Roxy now looked confused. "_Or are you gonna deny it?_"

"_What? Did she put you up to this, did she?_"

Katy was about to agree with Phil, when Roxy spoke. "_No. She said she-_"

"_She said what?_" Phil asked aggressively. Roxy looked stunned. "_Eh? That I took your money? So it must be true? Since when did you believe a word she says? Eh?_"

Katy had to admit that she rarely believed a word Glenda said and, from the look on her sister's face, Roxy was now doubting her mother as well. Glenda looked outraged.

"_Mum?_"

"_He's lying!_" Glenda protested.

"_If you wanna know who took your money, if I was you I'd look closer to home._" Phil said, confirming what Katy had thought since the beginning, that Glenda had something to do with the money vanishing. "And you, Katy? Why are you going along with Glenda? Everyone knows she's done her best to turn Ronnie and Roxy against you and get you to leave. She's been going around telling people that she wants to get rid of you and everything. You should be sticking with your family; you're a Mitchell."

The teenager felt a strange feeling inside at her cousin's words. She obviously knew that the woman didn't like her, but the idea that Glenda was actively trying to turn people against her was something else. Katy folded her arms over her chest and glared at the woman, shuffling slightly closer to Phil. Then she remembered the two bundles of money that she'd hidden in her hoody and briefly wondered whether to give them back. For a moment she seriously considered it, but then changed her mind. There was still a small part of her that didn't trust Phil and thought that maybe, just maybe, he was lying.

Phil held out his hand to Roxy, signalling for her to hand over the money she'd taken. She hesitated looking at Katy and Glenda for a clue as to what to do. The teenager shrugged, she didn't know what to tell herself, let alone anyone else. Reluctantly, Roxy handed over her bag and Phil quickly removed the money and threw the bag back.

"_Now get out._" He said quickly to the three women. They went, not needing to be told twice. Katy looked at her cousin hard as she walked past him. His face was difficult to read but now she wasn't so sure he hadn't been lying after all.

x

"_Why would you lie to me?_" Roxy demanded as the three of them watched each other in silence back at Roxy and Glenda's flat. Glenda was sitting on the sofa while Roxy leant against the kitchen counters and Katy sat on the armchair in the corner, nearer her sister. She'd slipped into the flat she shared with Ronnie and Jack and hidden the money she'd kept hidden in her hoody pocket underneath her wardrobe. Later she was planning on counting it and deciding what to do; even if Phil hadn't stolen their money, he wouldn't miss it.

"_I didn't lie. Phil took your money._" Glenda protested. Roxy didn't look as though she believed her mother at all. "_What did you think he was gonna do? Just admit it?_"

"_Why did you wanna take more than £20 grand?_" Roxy asked, looking at her sister as well this time. Katy shifted uncomfortably. Glenda didn't answer for a moment, so the teenager stepped in.

"Because it was there, Rox." She said with a sigh. "The money was there and until Phil showed up there was nothing stopping us."

"_Why not._" Glenda chipped in. "_He owes you interest._"

"_What did Phil mean when he said take a look closer to home?_"

"_How should I know?_" Glenda snapped.

"_Right… so you won't mind if I take a look in your room then?_" Roxy asked in a hard voice. "Katy, help me."

"_You seriously think I took your money?_" Glenda asked annoyed.

"_It wouldn't be the first time you've tried to get your hands on my cash, would it?_" Roxy said loudly. Katy jumped slightly as her sister raised her voice.

"_Fine, go ahead, look._" Glenda said. For a moment Katy thought the woman was going to cry. Roxy pulled a face and then glanced at her, signalling the teenager to follow. As the sisters left the room, Glenda jumped to her feet and followed.

"Do you really think she took it?" Katy hissed almost too quietly. Roxy just shrugged and started opening the drawers in her mother's cabinets.

"You look over there." She ordered her sister. Almost reluctantly Katy started sifting through the things on top of the dressing table. She opened the drawers and looked through Glenda's make-up. It felt wrong, going through the woman's things, especially while she was sitting on the bed.

Roxy stopped searching through the wardrobe. There was silence as she pulled out a brown envelope. Katy stopped what she was doing and turned to watch her sister tip bundles of money onto the bed beside Glenda. The teenager's mouth fell open at the sight, as did Roxy's. For once, they were both speechless.


	95. Chapter 95

Glenda was staring at the money with a strange expression. Katy could read the horror on her face, but she wasn't sure whether it was because she had been caught out, or whether it was simply that there had been so much money in her wardrobe. Shocked, the teenager sank into the white, wicker chair at the bottom of the bed and covered her mouth with her hands.

"What the hell…" Roxy said, realisation gradually dawning on her, the longer she stared at the money.

"Roxy… I…" Glenda started, reaching out to her younger daughter pleadingly.

"What…"

"_I didn't steal your money, I swear-_"

"_So what is this?_" Roxy exploded, waving the notes in her mother's face. "_What is that, Scotch mist?_"

"_Well, Phil must have put it there!_"

"_Is that the best you've got, mum?_" Roxy yelled.

"_I didn't take your money._" Glenda said slowly, fury flashing across her face as her daughter didn't seem to believe her. She even looked at Katy imploringly. The teenager hadn't moved a muscle. She had stood up when Roxy started shouting, horrified at the thought that Glenda could actually have stolen from her own daughter and tried to convince her that it was Phil.

"_I cannot believe that I fell for the caring mother act all this time._" Roxy said, hurt. "Katy was right about you." She moved to stand next to her sister, holding her hand tightly.

"_I do care about you._"

"_Oh yeah, course you do. You care so much about me that you abandon me as a kid. You only came looking for me again when you found out I'd inherited Dad's money._" Roxy shouted at her, dropping her sister's hand and stepping towards Glenda angrily. She turned back to face her sister, tears forming in her eyes. Katy's face was stony and she nodded at Roxy. The blonde woman seemed to take strength from this and composed herself.

"_Listen, Roxanne, I-_" Glenda tried to speak in a shaky voice, her lips trembling.

"_And just to show how much you cared, you convinced your weasel of a son to con me out of my inheritance._" Roxy spat. Glenda closed her eyes, fighting back the tears, or, as far as Katy was concerned, to try and squeeze some tears out.

"_OK, I admit that my motives in the beginning may have been misplaced._" She was crying properly now. "_But you have to believe that I care about you deeply_."

Roxy sniffed and shook her head, looking as though she was trying not to cry as well. She glanced at Katy, who moved to her sister's side and wrapped an arm around her waist. The teenager felt slightly awkward being involved in such a personal argument between Roxy and her mother, but she didn't want to leave her sister like this.

"Do you want me to go in the living room?" She asked in a low voice.

"No." Roxy said firmly. "You're my sister; I know I can trust you."

"Roxy, please?"

"No. I've had enough. Katy, can me and Amy come and live with you and Ronnie?"

"Course… I don't see why not? You can share my room." Katy offered nodding.

"Great. I'll pick my stuff up later." Roxy picked up the money from the bed, pulled Katy out of the room and slammed out of the flat. She took a deep breath and looked at her sister, with tear-filled eyes.

"Come here." Katy said, pulling Roxy into a tight hug. She held her sister close, swaying slightly as she rubbed her back. Katy needed the hug as much as her sister did, but however the teenager was feeling she wasn't the important one at the moment. "I'm so, so sorry."

"No, babe. I'm sorry. You told me she wasn't to be trusted and I wouldn't believe you. And I'm sorry for everything she's said and done to you." Roxy said quietly.

"It doesn't matter. And you were right to ignore me, she's your mum and I had no evidence, she was just being a cow." Katy almost felt guilty that Glenda had been uncovered as the thief of their money. Although they didn't get on and at least gave the impression that they hated the sight of each other, the teenager had a grudging respect for the woman.

"Yeah, well, your instincts were right, weren't they?" Roxy said with finality. Then she took another deep breath and smiled. "Let's put this somewhere safe and then I think we've got an apology to make."

Katy pulled a face but knew that Roxy was right. They put the money safely in Katy's room and headed to the Vic.

"If it ain't the Kray sisters." Phil said as Roxy and Katy walked into the pub, looking as though they were attending a funeral. He was leaning against the bar and Katy could see Heather, Shirley and Jane at a table round the corner.

"_Phil. I am sorry._" Roxy said approaching him tentatively.

"Me too, Phil. I'm really sorry." Katy agreed, holding her sister's hand tightly. The contact was giving them both the strength and courage they needed to face their tough cousin.

"_What were you thinking, eh, trying to pull a stunt like that?_" He asked the pair, turning in his usual aggressive way to face them.

"_I'm sorry. I'm really sorry and I hope you can forgive me._" Roxy said speaking for the both of them. "I hope you can forgive us."

"_What about Glenda?_" Phil asked more softly after a moment's thought.

"_She's well and truly burnt her bridges this time._" Roxy said in a hard voice. She squeezed Katy's hand so tightly as she spoke that the teenager had to work hard to stop herself from wincing.

"_Well, at least you saw sense in the end._" Phil said with a sigh. "And I'm surprised at you, Katy. I thought you'd have believed anyone but her."

Katy looked down and said nothing, feeling as though she was probably blushing. Roxy took her hand out of the teenager's and wrapped it around her waist instead.

"_Anyway, we'll see you later, yeah?_"

"_Look, stay._" Phil said as his cousins started to walk away. "_Stay. Have a drink with us._"

"_Are you sure?_" Roxy asked, shooting a quick look at Katy who stared back hopefully. Phil pulled out his mobile as he answered her question.

"_Yeah, we can't let Glenda win, can we? Ummm… Listen, you get the drinks in, yeah? I'll be back in a sec._"

He handed Roxy a fifty pound note and headed outside. The sisters looked at each other, not quite believing that they'd been let off the hook so easily. Roxy took a deep breath and smiled as Alfie appeared to take her order.


	96. Chapter 96

They delivered the drinks to the table and sat with the other women. They made no sign that anything was wrong so the sisters assumed that Phil hadn't told them he'd found the three women going through the safe. There was a worrying moment when Shirley mentioned Phil returning to their house earlier, but it was glossed over and the conversation continued. After a while Phil returned and Jane left to talk to Ian.

"Eurgh!" Katy said as Jane and Ian started kissing in the corner, a sentiment echoed by the others at the table.

"_The only time I want you to bring me flowers will be at my funeral._" Shirley said to Phil, making Katy giggle into her drink. Roxy nudged her in the ribs, grinning.

"_Aww! See now that is actually true love._" The blonde said as her sister almost choked on her vodka and coke. The others smiled at Roxy's words. "_It is!_"

"_Roxy?_" Glenda appeared at her daughter's elbow looking frantic. Katy glanced over at her in annoyance. "_I need to talk to you._"

"_So… Phil, how was your holiday?_" Roxy asked, pretending she hadn't heard her mother speak.

"Yeah, was the weather nice?" Katy said, supporting her sister.

"_Yeah, yeah, great thanks._" Her cousin said, playing along with it as well.

"_Roxanne, please?_" Glenda begged.

"_Bet you're glad to have him back, ain't you Shirl?_"

"_Roxy, why're you doing this to me?_" Glenda demanded, the words exploding out of her. Katy took a gulp of her drink and tried to avoid looking at the woman.

"_I dunno, I dunno… maybe because you're a lying, two-faced, stealing cow?_" Roxy suggested, looking up at her mother.

"_I'm telling the truth._"

"Just get lost, yeah, Grandma?" Katy said defending her sister. For some reason she wasn't getting any satisfaction out of seeing Glenda suffering, even after everything the woman had said and done to her.

"Just shut up, Katherine!" Glenda snapped, almost lunging towards Katy.

"Oi!" Roxy shrieked, standing up and blocking the woman from getting to the teenager. "_Telling the truth are you? You have told me so many lies over the years, you wouldn't know the truth if it came up to you and slapped you in the face!_"

"_Fine._" Glenda sniffed, tears running down her cheeks. "_You wanna know the truth? Me and Phil have been sleeping together._"

Katy's mouth fell open and she looked between Roxy, Glenda, Shirley and Phil in astonishment. Shirley looked as though she was about to murder Glenda and Roxy looked horrified. She didn't, however, look as though she believed her mother at all. Only Phil looked calm.

"_What did you say?_" Shirley asked in a quiet, deceptively calm voice. Glenda looked scared.

"_You heard._" She said hesitantly. "_Me and Phil have been sleeping together._"

"_You nearly… nearly had me going there._" Shirley said, pointing her finger at the woman, but not looking at her. Roxy crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head slightly. Katy just stared at Glenda pityingly.

"_Just get her out of here, will ya?_" Phil told Roxy, who glared at him.

"_She is nothing to do with me._" Roxy snapped, not looking at her mother. Glenda rushed from the pub before her daughter had even finished speaking. Roxy sat for a moment before groaning and following Glenda outside. Awkwardly Katy stayed at the table for a moment or two, not really wanting to go and butt in.

It was just as awkward at the table. A tear was rolling down Shirley's face.

"_Look…_" Phil said quietly.

"_It's your round, I think._" His fiancé said, not looking at him.

"I think I'd better just go and make sure…" Katy started. She didn't bother to finish her sentence before she got up and left the tenseness at the table. Outside, she saw her sister having a heated conversation with Glenda. Unsure of what to do, she hovered in the doorway until Roxy saw her.

"Katy!" She shouted over to her. "Get over here and listen to this."

"Oh great." Glenda snapped. "Can't you ever keep your nose out of other people's business?"

"Oi! I called her over here, yeah, because it is her business. She's my family… she looks out for me, unlike some people."

"_I was telling the truth!_" Glenda said pleadingly. "_I didn't take your money. I wouldn't do that to you, Roxy._"

"_But you'd sleep with your own nephew?_" Roxy spat disgustedly.

"_Oh please, it's not like he's a blood relative._"

"_D'you know what, I don't even care if you slept with Phil or not, alright, all I know is that you stole from me._"

"_How can you still think that?_" Glenda demanded, pushing Katy aside so that she could stand nearer to Roxy. The blonde put out her arm and pulled Katy closer to her again. The teenager was starting to think she knew how a crash barrier felt.

"_I don't want anything to do with you, OK? Nothing._" Roxy said softly, moving slowly backwards. "_And when Ronnie finds out what you've done, neither will she._"

Shaking with the effort of keeping calm, Roxy turned and walked off, pulling Katy by the arm behind her. Katy slipped her hand into her sister's and squeezed it, laying her head on Roxy's shoulder. She turned and shot Glenda a look as they walked away; a look that was threatening enough to make the older woman take a step backwards.

Katy guided her sister, who was now in floods of tears, back to her flat and locked the door, putting the chain across so that even if Glenda tried, she wouldn't be able to get in. Then she sat on the sofa, hugging Roxy as she sobbed. The teenager tried to imagine how she was feeling, but she couldn't; it was too difficult.

"Ring Ronnie." She said at last, feeling helpless. She thought that maybe Ronnie would be able to cheer Roxy up where she had failed. Roxy nodded and pressed a button on her mobile, activating the speed dial connected to her sister's number.

"_It's me._" She said through her tears. "_I really need to talk to you. Just please call me._" She shuddered as she breathed in and hung up the phone. "Answer phone."

"Don't worry. Ron'll ring you as soon as she can, you know she will." Katy said comfortingly. She hadn't thought about her elder sister all day, maybe not the best idea after the state she'd been in last night. All of a sudden Katy felt the sting of tears in her own eyes as she realised how useless she was when her sisters needed her.

"Hey," Roxy sniffed, wiping her eyes and turning to the teenager, "you're not allowed to cry. You're the strong one, yeah? I need you to look after me, babe. What would I do without you?"

"Right." Katy said firmly, pulling herself together. Roxy's words reminded her that there was no time or place for her to be wrapped up in her own thoughts. She had to be there for her sisters, whatever. Her own problems would have to wait. "Are we gonna start packing your stuff?"

"I guess we'd better."

"Why should you move out though? She's the lying, stealing cow."

"You know what, you're right." Roxy said nodding. She put her hands on her hips. "I'm not going anywhere. Come on."


	97. Chapter 97

The sisters began shoving Glenda's things into bin liners. When they'd packed up everything, they took them down stairs. Roxy opened the front door and saw her mother standing on the door step. She dropped the first bag at her feet.

"_Been thrown out of my own flat?_" Glenda asked, tears on her cheeks. "_Now there's a first._"

"_Well you're lucky I didn't throw this lot in the tip._" Roxy said harshly, her face a mask of grim determination. Katy appeared behind her with the second bag of Glenda's things.

"_You're really just going to throw your own mother out onto the street, penniless?_" Glenda asked as Katy dropped her bag on top of the first and stood resolutely beside Roxy. Roxy looked outraged at her mother's words, as did Katy.

"_Oh you really just cannot help yourself, can you?_" Roxy shouted, grabbing the flat key out of her mother's hand.

"_I didn't –_"

"_No, fine, if it means that much to you, here y'are…_" Roxy pulled some money out of her pocket and handed it to Glenda.

"_Roxanne!_"

"… _have a little bit of cash, alright? You'll have something to remember me by._"

"_I don't want it!_" Glenda sobbed, picking the money up off the ground and handing it back to Roxy. "_Just take it, just take it. And then I can talk to you and convince you that I am telling the truth._" Roxy took several deep breaths, looking into her mother's face as the older woman held out the notes. "I don't want your money. I just want you."

"_Looks like you lost out on both, doesn't it?_" Roxy said stonily, taking back the money. She pushed Katy back into the flat and followed her, closing the door on Glenda who was staring after her as though the world was ending.

"Are you OK?" Katy asked when she and Roxy were back upstairs. Mentally she kicked herself for asking such a stupid question; of course her sister wasn't alright.

"Let's not talk about it, yeah." Roxy said, making it sound more of a threat than a suggestion. "Let's just put on a DVD before it's time to go and fetch Amy from nursery."

Katy nodded. "I'm just going to the loo. You can choose the movie, but if it's too slushy I might be sick on you." She warned with a grin. Despite her bad mood, Roxy returned the grin.

"Thanks, babe."

"What are sisters for?" Katy asked, slipping out of the room. She locked herself in the bathroom and pulled out her mobile.

Selecting Ronnie's number, she held the device to her ear and waited. It rang several times before going to answerphone. Sighing, Katy hung up and tried again. This time it went straight to answerphone. She hung up and thought for a moment; she could just pop downstairs and see if Ronnie was in, but she didn't really want to leave Roxy on her own, even if she was only going downstairs.

"Listen, Ron. Please ring me back. Roxy really needs you. Glenda nicked her money, not Phil. Please, please come and see her Ron. We both need you." She almost whispered into the phone as it connected to answerphone again. Then she closed her eyes, sighed and composed herself before going back into the living room and curling up on the sofa next to her sister who was sobbing again.

x

It was dark before Ronnie came home. Katy, who had been watching Glenda in the gardens though the window, spotted her approaching and called to Roxy who had just settled Amy in her cot. The two sisters, with the baby monitor clutched in Roxy's hand, had rushed downstairs and greeted Ronnie on the doorstep.

"Sweetie…" Ronnie said, hugging Roxy tightly. Then she turned to Katy, sending her an apologetic look. Katy smiled weakly back and nodded, indicating that she accepted Ronnie's apology for not coming straight away. The oldest sister put her arm around Roxy and they went inside, Katy pushing James' pram behind them and closing the door firmly.

"_I'm just really sorry, I'm so sorry that I blurted it all out on the phone, like that._" Roxy said as they got inside.

"_Oh, darling, listen to me._" Ronnie said softly, rubbing Roxy on the back and sitting on the arm of the sofa. "_It's alright, it's not your fault, is it?_"

"_How could I have been so stupid?_"

"_That's why she must have been calling me and leaving me all of those messages._" Ronnie said stroking Roxy's hair. She turned and looked at Katy who nodded slowly.

"_She's trying to get to you before I do. She's making her excuses trying to make out that somehow it's for my own good._"

"_It's divide and conquer, isn't it?_"

"_It's the same thing she's done ever since we were kids. All she ever does is just try and play us off against each other and you know what, we've been too blind to see it._" Roxy said looking at the ground. Katy and Ronnie exchanged a glance. The teenager had spotted the tactic straight away; Glenda had been using it to try and get rid of her since she'd arrived. Phil had confirmed her suspicions with his words earlier.

"_Maybe we didn't want to see it._" Ronnie said soothingly.

"_You know I just wish she never came back into our lives._"

"_OK, I'm going to get James into bed, alright?_" Ronnie said, rubbing her eyes tiredly and sighing deeply.

"_OK._" Roxy murmured. "_Hold on, hey, let me see him._" The three sisters gathered around the pram, looking down at the small boy who was already asleep. They smiled fondly at him, a small ray of sunshine in the middle of so much rain. "_What are we gonna do about mum, anyway?_"

"_Well I suppose we'll do what we always do._" Ronnie said with a sigh. "_We'll manage on our own._" The three sisters smiled at each other, sharing whatever strength they had left.

"_Hey, we'll be better mums to our kids than she ever was to us, right?_" Roxy called as Ronnie pushed James into her bedroom. There was a brief moment where Katy thought she saw some kind of shadow passing over Ronnie's face, but then it was gone. Without thinking she put a hand on her own stomach. None of them said anything, in response to Roxy's words, but each of them made up their minds there and then to make them true.

The doorbell rang not long later and Ronnie went to answer the door. Roxy had gone back to check on Amy and not come back. She sent Ronnie a message to say she was going to bed. Katy was falling asleep on the sofa, but she was awake enough to hear Glenda's voice as Ronnie opened the front door.

"_I can help you._" She was saying.

"_Can you?_" Ronnie asked in a voice that Katy recognised. It was the voice she'd used when she'd been called in to see Mr Alcock the last time. The voice Ronnie used when she was so angry she could hardly speak.

"_You're obviously having a hard time with your post-natal depression and I can take the pressure off with James._" Glenda said. There was a long pause and Katy started to feel uncomfortable. She was about to go and see if Ronnie was alright when her sister spoke.

"I don't need you. I've got Katy." She said simply. Katy beamed, feeling as though her heart was going to explode with happiness. The door started closing, Katy could tell because she could hear the familiar squeak, and then there was a thud.

"_Or… I could just talk to Jack about it._" Glenda said. Katy furrowed her eyebrows wondering what the woman was talking about.

Katy couldn't hear what was said next, the rain was getting heavier and drowning out the words, but she could make out the tones of the women's voices. Glenda sounded as though she was threatening Ronnie and the younger woman sounded panicked. The teenager was about to go and see what was happening when the flat door opened.

"_I knew you'd see sense in the end._" Glenda said as she appeared in the living room with her bin liners in tow.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Katy demanded jumping up from the sofa, wide awake now.

"She's got nowhere else to go." Ronnie said in a quiet, weak voice. Katy looked at her furiously.

"AND?" She shouted. "That's her problem. Think about what she did to Roxy."

"I don't see what it's got to do with you anyway." Glenda snapped at Katy. "You just love sticking your nose in, don't you?"

"Ron?" Katy implored her sister to see sense and kick the woman out, but Ronnie didn't say anything. "If she's staying then I'm not." Katy warned.

"Katy…" Ronnie said weakly, looking at her with large, tear-filled eyes.

"Brilliant." Glenda smirked. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Katy looked hopefully at Ronnie, but her older sister said nothing. "Fine." The teenager said. She stormed into her bedroom and grabbed the things she needed for the next day. "I'm going to Roxy's… if you're bothered." She slammed out of the flat and ran upstairs, letting herself in with the spare key. What had got into Ronnie?


	98. Chapter 98

As much as Katy loved Roxy, living with her was very different from living with Ronnie. Katy had been there just over twelve hours, most of them asleep, and she was already fighting the urge to gag her, after hearing her babble in her sleep. Roxy had come groggily into the living room when she heard Katy moving around in there, armed with a hairdryer. Her younger sister had burst out laughing at the sight.

As she made up the sofa, Katy angrily told Roxy what had happened downstairs and why she was there. Upset, Roxy had told Katy that she could share her bed, which was more comfortable than the sofa. Sensing that the blonde woman didn't want to be alone, Katy had agreed.

The next morning, after a sleepless night, Katy had text Lauren to say she wasn't going to be able to meet up with her like she'd arranged. Her friend had demanded an explanation and the Mitchell had promised to go over and see her that evening and explain everything. Roxy was still asleep next to her and, in her cot, Amy was snuffling quietly.

All of a sudden a wave of nausea came over the teenager and she leapt out of bed, running to the bathroom. She was violently sick, but made sure she was quiet. The last thing she wanted to do was alert her sister to the possibility that anything was wrong.

Shakily, Katy went into the living room and curled up on the sofa. She knew that she had to find out one way or another whether she was pregnant, but she couldn't bring herself to confirm it. This was the worst possible thing that could happen to her, and her family, right now. The extra pressure would make the current situation ten times worse. Her sisters were relying on her.

"Katy?" Roxy's voice was croaky from lack of sleep.

"Mmmm?" The teenager replied, alerting her sister to her location. Roxy appeared with the duvet wrapped around her and looking almost dazed, in the doorway and watched her for a few seconds before joining her sister on the sofa. She curled around the teenager and engulfed her in the covers.

"You're freezing. How long have you been up?"

"I dunno… what time is it?" Katy asked blankly.

"Half nine. On a Saturday… are you ill?" Roxy tried to joke. Neither of them was in the mood for laughing, though and a smirk was all that Katy could muster in response.

"No… I just couldn't sleep."

"I know what you mean." Roxy said, burrowing into the duvet and resting her head on Katy's shoulder. "I've been awake almost all night. What is Ronnie doing, letting her stay? What happened?"

Katy shrugged. "They were talking on the doorstep and Glenda said that she could help. Ronnie said she had me and I think she tried to close the door, but Glenda obviously stopped her and said something about Jack. Then I don't know what else they said 'cos they were talking quietly."

"And Ronnie just let her in?" Roxy asked outraged.

"Yup. Glenda said she knew Ronnie would see sense in the end and she came in. Ronnie didn't even bother sticking up for me so I left. Your mum was saying that I love sticking my nose in and that I shouldn't let the door hit me on the way out and Ronnie just stood there."

"Don't call her that." Roxy snapped. Katy looked confused.

"What?"

"My mum… I don't want anything to do with her. She's nothing to me, right?"

"OK, chill." Katy said, slightly alarmed by the vehemence with which Roxy said the words.

"And Ronnie just let her talk to you like that?" Roxy was astonished.

"Yeah." Katy was incredibly hurt by the way her elder sister had acted the night before. Even just thinking about it made tears well up in her eyes.

"Hey, come here, babe." Roxy said, hugging her sister. "Don't worry about it. Ronnie's probably just plotting some kind of revenge, yeah. She never lets anyone talk about you like that. Remember when she had to go in about that History teacher?" Katy nodded, sniffing. "She was up for setting Phil on him. It's lucky he was in Portugal at the time!"

In spite of everything, Katy smiled. "I wish she had."

"How are things at school now? Better?" Roxy asked.

"Yeah, Perry's laid off. Apparently Alcock has him on a tight lead now." The sisters laughed at the image that sentence conjured in both their minds. "Eurgh… I can't wait to leave though. I wish Ronnie didn't want me to finish my exams."

"Hey, it's only another year. You'll have qualifications then and you can do what you want. Sometimes I wish that Ron and I had stayed on at school."

"Really? Do you know what I really want to do? When I leave, I mean."

"What?"

"I wanna be just like you and Ron. I want to own my own business, be in charge of my life, do what _I_ want to do." Katy said passionately. Roxy looked at her for a minute and then hugged her tightly, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I can't believe I've known you less than a year." She said with a tearful smile. "It's like you're a part of me. Like if you weren't here I'd feel as though I had an arm or leg missing."

"I know…" Katy said quietly. "I know exactly what you mean." She burst into tears, burrowing closer to her sister who held her tightly, rocking her like a baby and murmuring soothingly in her ear.

"Hey, hey." Roxy said in a low voice. "What's the matter?"

The teenager sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I don't know." She said, smiling weakly. Roxy looked at her for a moment and then they both started to laugh. This was the perfect time to tell her sister about her pregnancy query. Katy had just made up her mind to tell Roxy everything when the blonde yawned and stretched.

"Come on, if we're up we might as well get on with something useful." Roxy said standing up and taking the duvet with her. "D'you fancy helping me out in the club today?"

Katy nodded. The moment was shattered and she decided to keep her worries to herself. There was nothing at that moment that she felt like doing more than spending time with her sister. The teenager couldn't bare the idea of letting Roxy out of her sight. It was irrational, she knew, but she already felt like she'd lost Ronnie after last night and she refused to lose Roxy as well.


	99. Chapter 99

An hour later the sisters, with Amy in tow, were washed, dressed and heading over to R&R with an armful of toys to keep the toddler entertained. They settled Amy in a corner of the club while they sorted out the stock and started refilling the bar.

"Mummy… drink." Amy called from her corner. Roxy smiled and rummaged in her bag for her daughter's bottle.

"Here, Katy, give her this." She said, throwing the juice over the bar. Katy caught it and took the drink over to her niece. Amy snatched for it, but Katy held it out of the little girl's reach.

"No, Amy. What do you say?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Ta."

"Good girl." Katy ruffled her hair and handed over the bottle. She smiled at the word Amy had used, obviously having heard her mother use it often. She continued to smile fondly at the small child, who held the drink in one hand and carried on with her drawing; a typical house with several people standing outside it.

"Who's that?" Katy asked, pointing to a blobby person with a shock of black hair sticking straight out from the side of its head.

"You!" Amy said giggling.

"Is that what my hair looks like?" Katy asked, pretending to be shocked. She made her eyes and mouth wide as her niece giggled even harder.

"Uh-huh." Amy jabbed at her picture with a chubby finger. "That's Mummy and Daddy and Auntie Ronnie and James." She elaborated.

Katy stifled a laugh. "I'm sure Mummy will love her hairstyle." She said, kissing Amy on the top of her head and returning to the bar. Roxy looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you trying to teach my daughter bad habits?" She asked, noting the look on her sister's face.

"No!" Katy assured her with a grin. "But I have a feeling she's not going to be an artist when she's older."

"Is she doing the hair straight out of the head? Sort of like a hedgehog crossed with a cactus?" Roxy asked knowingly. Katy nodded. "Brilliant."

"What needs doing now?" Katy asked looking around. They'd finished restocking the bar and the empty cases were lying in a heap on the floor. "Shall I shove all those in the rubbish?"

"Yeah, I need to sort some stuff in the office and then we'll grab some lunch, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan." Katy said with a smile. She went over to the pile of cardboard and bent down, starting to gather it up. Seconds later, she felt her head spinning and it was very hot. She blinked quickly, trying to remove the dark mist that was creeping over her vision. There was only time to take a few shallow breaths before the darkness engulfed her and she dropped, hitting the floor.

x

"I dunno… Amy started crying so I came to see what was wrong and there she was." Roxy was saying in a voice thick with shock. "I just carried her over to the sofa. What do I do?"

Katy dazedly blinked several times, finding it difficult to open her eyes properly. She tried to move her head, but it was too heavy. It didn't feel as though it was attached to the rest of her body.

"Hurry, Ron." Roxy said urgently. She ended the call and sank to her knees beside Katy, noticing her sister looking around.

"What… happened?" Katy asked as her sister took her hand and squeezed it.

"I was gonna ask you the same question!" Roxy said with a weak smile. "You gave me and Amy a right shock."

Katy struggled to sit up, ignoring the dizzy feeling in her head as she did so and smiled at Roxy, trying to pretend she was fine. The blonde woman didn't look entirely convinced, but she didn't stop the teenager as she moved. The banging of the main doors opening alerted the pair that Ronnie had arrived. She struggled down the steps into the club with James' pram and rushed to her sisters' sides.

"Sweetie, what happened?" She demanded, putting her cool palm on Katy's forehead and looking at her worriedly. Katy hesitated for a moment, wondering whether this would be a good time to confide in her sisters about her worries.

"I'm not sure… I think maybe… maybe I'm…" she started slowly.

"What?" Roxy couldn't stop herself speaking. Katy looked at her sisters wide, concerned eyes and took a deep breath, forming the words in her head.

"I think I might be–"

"Roxy?" A voice called, shattering the moment. All three sisters jumped and flicked their attention to the doorway. Phil was standing there, looking questioningly at the scene. "I need to talk to you about the business."

"Can you give me two minutes?" The woman asked annoyed.

"Two minutes." Phil said, walking into the office and banging the door behind him.

"You think you might be what?" Ronnie asked urgently, squeezing the teenager's hand worriedly.

"Dehydrated." Katy said, bottling out now that the moment had passed. A shadow passed over her older sister's face and Roxy sighed.

"Thank goodness for that. I thought it would be something worse." The younger blonde said ruffling Katy's hair. "Well, help yourself to a drink while I go and see what his lordship wants. Then we'll all go out for lunch, yeah?"

Katy and Ronnie nodded as Roxy went off to talk to Phil. Gently Ronnie scooped James out of his pram and cuddled him. Amy climbed onto Katy's lap and wrapped her arms around her Aunt's neck. The teenager held the little girl close, breathing in the comforting smell of her hair and closing her eyes. When she opened them, Ronnie was watching her closely.

"Sorry." She said.

"Sorry?"

"For last night."

"Oh." Katy felt slightly awkward.

"I didn't choose her over you; you know that, don't you?" Ronnie said, almost as though she was begging the teenager to believe her. "I wouldn't do that, ever. You and Roxy… you're everything."

"I know." Katy said in a barely audible whisper. "I know."

"Let's go." Roxy said cheerfully, picking Amy up from Katy's lap. She smiled at her sisters and waited for them to sort themselves out. "You're obviously not suffering from malnutrition, even though you might be dehydrated." She said tactlessly to Katy.

"What?" The teenager asked, not understanding what Roxy meant.

"Well you look like you've put some weight on, little sis. Maybe you should start going jogging with Ron."

Katy was horrified, but did her best to keep her features under control. She stuck out her tongue and pushed past Roxy to be the first out of the club, making a mental note to wear slightly baggier clothes in future.


	100. Chapter 100

_**ARGH! 100**__**TH**__** Chapter! I never, NEVER thought I'd get this far! Thank you to everyone who's read and commented! Without you I wouldn't have written this much! Please carry on reading and reviewing! :) **_

After lunch, Katy escaped from her sisters to go to Lauren's house. Her friend listened to everything that the Mitchell told her; from breaking into Phil's house to Glenda stealing the money to fainting in the club.

"You really need to go to the doctor's." Lauren told her firmly. "Tell you what, if you make an appointment, we'll go down the High Street and get some tests."

"Do I have to?" Katy asked, feeling pathetic.

"Yes, you do." Lauren said grinning. She went into the kitchen and took the number for the surgery off the fridge and handed it to Katy, before she leant back in the armchair. Katy dialled the number and waited until the receptionist answered.

"Hi, can I make an appointment please, soon as possible…. Katherine Mitchell… Thursday? Yep, that's fine. Thank you."

"That was quick." Lauren said when Katy hung up.

"I know." The teenager pulled a face and sighed. "Thursday at ten past three."

"D'you want me to come with you?" Lauren asked gently. Katy shook her head.

"Nah, I'll ring you afterwards and let you know what he says." She promised. If Lauren came with her it would just make whatever the doctor said more real.

"Right, High Street then." Lauren said. Katy looked at her and pulled a face.

"Do we have to?"

"Yes!" Lauren said firmly. "If they're negative then you can just ask him about the fainting and you can forget all about the pregnancy part, yeah?"

Katy sighed. "Fine." She agreed, grabbing her jacket and following Lauren out of the house.

x

"Can you believe how expensive they are?" Lauren said disgusted at the price Katy had just paid for pregnancy tests. She'd bought five, paranoid that they'd give different results. Lauren secretly thought that Katy was getting too worried and that five tests was a bit much, but she didn't say anything.

"Yeah…" Katy agreed distractedly, shoving the chemist's bag deep into her shoulder bag. On the way back to the Square, she hardly spoke, letting Lauren chatter away to herself about Seb and how she had decided that she was too good for him after all.

"Come on." Lauren said the second they walked through the front door of her house. "Let's find out once and for all."

Reluctantly, Katy went into the bathroom with the tests and emerged a couple of minutes later, all five clutched in her hands. In Lauren's bedroom they laid them out on the bedside cabinet and sat on the bed. Lauren reached out and held Katy's hand, squeezing it tightly. Katy closed her eyes and took several deep breathes, feeling sick to the pit of her stomach.

"You have to look, Katy." Lauren said gently, putting an arm around her best friend's shoulders. "Look."

Shaking, the Mitchell felt tears sliding from under her eyelids and down her cheeks. With a massive amount of effort, Katy opened her eyes and looked at the tests. Positive. Every single one of them was telling her she was pregnant.

Angrily Katy grabbed all five in one hand and hurled them across the room, before collapsing on Lauren's bed in a ball and bursting into tears. Lauren lay beside her, hugging her tightly and stroking her hair, trying to calm her down.

She couldn't stop shaking or crying. After a long time, the girls heard the front door open and Tanya come in. Quickly, Lauren scooped up the pregnancy tests and shoved them in the bottom drawer of her beside cabinet before slipping out of the room to talk to her mother. Katy wasn't worried that she would tell Tanya, Lauren had promised to keep it a secret and the teenager trusted her best friend.

"Oh, darling." Tanya said gently, coming into the room and putting her arms round Katy. "Lauren told me all about what happened yesterday. Are you OK?"

Katy sat up and allowed herself to be folded into Tanya's motherly hug. Over the blonde woman's shoulder she looked at Lauren hard. The younger girl shook her head to signal the she hadn't told her mother about the tests.

"Mmmm." Katy murmured.

"Now, about this fainting," Tanya said, holding the girl at arm's length and looking at her seriously, "I think you should see the doctor."

"I've already rung him." Katy assured her with a smile. "But please don't tell Ronnie or Roxy… they'd only worry and… well… they've got enough to worry about at the moment."

"Are you sure, darling?"

"Yeah… you know what they're like." Katy said with a rueful smile.

"True, but they'll be so worried." Tanya didn't look convinced that she should keep the secret from Katy's sisters. "How are you feeling now?" She took in the red, tearstained face and constant twisting of Katy's hands.

"I'm fine."

Tanya looked at her, raising an eyebrow showing she wasn't convinced with the teenager's assurance. But seeing as Katy wouldn't elaborate, she simply gave her a reassuring smile, squeezed her shoulder and left the girls alone.

"You do realise that she's going to be checking up on you every ten minutes now." Lauren said with a grin. Katy smiled at her.

"I guess it'll be like having a mum again." Katy said jokily. Part of her wasn't joking, though. Part of her liked the idea of having a mum again; especially one like Tanya.

"You alright now?" Lauren said quietly.

"Yeah, I better get back before Ronnie and Roxy start worrying too." Katy said with a sigh. "See you later kid."

x

When Katy had left, Tanya came back into Lauren's bedroom as the teenager was moving the pregnancy tests from the drawer to a carrier bag so she could get rid of them for her friend.

"Laur– what the hell are they?" She exploded, catching sight of the tests in her daughter's hand. She moved quickly across the room and snatched one out of Lauren's grasp.

"No, mum, wait!" Lauren said quickly.

"Positive… oh my god!" Tanya sank onto the bed, one hand over her mouth and the other clutching the test. She stared at it horrified.

"Mum, listen, please." Lauren pleaded kneeling in front of her mother. "They're not mine… they're Katy's. That's why she's so upset, that's why she fainted." Tanya looked at her for a moment or two, disbelieving. "I promise."

Tanya breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Lauren tightly, mouthing 'thank you' at the ceiling. Then she looked down at the test again.

"Poor Katy. What's she going to do?"

Lauren shrugged. "She's got an appointment on Thursday, but she doesn't want anyone to know yet; not even Ronnie and Roxy. I'm really worried about her, mum. I don't think she's thinking clearly at all. Sometimes… sometimes it's like she's not even thinking about herself. She worries about her sisters all the time. And I mean _all_ the time."

"How long has she suspected she was pregnant?" Tanya asked, holding Lauren's hand tightly as they talked, relieved that the tests didn't belong her daughter.

"I dunno. She told me on the Stratford trip… she was really weird and wouldn't talk to me about it for ages after she blurted it out. After she fainted, Roxy said she'd put on weight and I think that's what made her realise she needed to find out the truth. Maybe because it's started showing… she can't hide it anymore."

"So you're the only person she's told?"

"I think so… mum…" Lauren looked at Tanya worriedly. "She told me once that she's terrified she'll end up like her mum, you know… depressed? And with Ronnie acting all weird… Katy's acting… I dunno…"

"What d'you mean?" Tanya asked concerned at the way her daughter was speaking.

"I dunno… But I reckon we should keep an eye on her." Lauren said seriously. The blonde woman looked at her daughter with apprehension and nodded, shooting her a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes.


	101. Chapter 101

It seemed to Lauren as though Katy was avoiding her after the events at Number 27 where Lauren was staying with her mother and Greg after the situation between Max and Whitney. The older girl had evaded Lauren's calls and texts for the rest of the weekend and had turned up at school just in time to prevent herself being marked in as late on Monday morning.

Katy had been barely there, mentally, in their double English lesson first thing and she disappeared as the bell rang for break, not going back to the common room at all. When Lauren left the room to go to her Art lesson, Katy was nowhere to be seen. She even found an excuse to stay out of the common room at lunch time. It wasn't until the last lesson of the day; History with Mrs Kelley, that Lauren was able to catch up with her friend.

When the teacher had set them off on their work, Lauren leant over and stared Katy straight in the eyes. Katy did her best to avoid Lauren's glare, pretending that she was very interested in the work in front of her. She shuffled the sheets around, underlining key points.

"When are you going to stop pretending I'm not here?" Lauren asked in a low hiss. "Because it's getting a bit boring now."

"What are you on about?" Katy asked, not looking up from the papers. "I'm not doing anything… I'd just rather get this work done now and not have to do it at home. It's not exactly easy to work with Roxy and Amy around."

"Are you still living with them then?" Lauren asked, almost surprised. She'd expected that Katy would have moved back in with Ronnie by now.

"Yeah… I'm not moving home until Glenda's gone. I refuse to live with that woman. I'm quite happy living at Roxy's where I don't have to see her Cheshire cat face. Sharing a bed with Rox isn't much fun though; she snores like a bogging troll."

"Why are you sleeping in Roxy's room? Surely there's a spare bed with Glenda gone?" Lauren pointed out, confused.

"Yeah, but Rox keeps having nightmares and waking up screaming." Katy said with a small shrug. "And that sets Amy off. It's easier if I'm in the same room; I can calm them down more easily."

"Oh, babe… you need to take care of yourself though." Katy shot Lauren a look that plainly said 'shut up' and didn't reply. The younger girl took a deep breath and lowered her voice even more so that she was barely audible. "Mum knows."

"What?" Katy hissed, louder than she'd meant to.

"I had to tell her… she saw the tests and I couldn't exactly say there were mine, could I?"

"I suppose." Katy said with a shrug.

"Don't worry, she won't tell anyone." Lauren promised. "She's just worried about you. Just like I am."

Katy made an undistinguishable sound and turned the page of her text book, emerging herself in work again. Lauren sighed and turned her attention to her own work, knowing that Katy had shut herself off again.

A weight had been lifted off Katy's mind knowing that Ronnie and Roxy were still talking. The older sister hated Glenda as much as the younger two did, but she was playing a different game. Katy didn't understand why, but Ronnie was drawing Glenda in; making her think she was safe.

The Mitchell kept her head down until the bell rang when she headed quickly for the door. Lauren was determined to keep up with her friend and so the teenagers walked back to the Square together in near silence. They exchanged a couple of words, now and then, but on the whole they didn't speak.

"Listen, Lor…" Katy said, a sudden urge to confide in her friend washing over her. "It's… it would have been… my mam's birthday on Friday, so I'm going back to Newport; I'm going to her grave."

"You can't!" Lauren was horrified at the thought of Katy going back to the place where she had such bad memories of; the place where her life had been so hard. The younger girl was also worried about what Katy would do if she met any difficult situations, she was hardly acting normally. "At least let me come with you."

Katy hesitated for a moment or two, considering the options. Then she nodded in agreement.

"I can come?" Lauren was surprised at how quickly and easily Katy had agreed to let her friend join her on the trip.

"Yeah… We'll arrange the details and stuff later." Katy said with a strange smile. She turned to walk towards the flat but Lauren grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"I'll be there, OK? You won't have to go back on your own." She said in a low, serious voice. Katy smiled and nodded, hugging Lauren tightly. The younger girl held on really hoping that everything would be alright. "Why is life around here never simple?" She asked with a grin as they broke apart.

"That's life, kid." Katy said with a cynical laugh. "Life is incapable of being easy."


	102. Chapter 102

"Are you throwing up?" Roxy demanded through the bathroom door the next morning.

"Of course I'm not!" Katy lied, resting her head on the edge of the bath.

"Well hurry up then! I need to get ready for work! And I need to get Amy ready for nursery."

"Why don't you get Amy ready while I'm getting ready for school?" Katy asked, sitting upright as she felt the familiar lurching in her stomach. She wretched again, stopping herself making a noise and waited until she heard Roxy's steps retreating.

"Here's a fiver." Roxy said, pushing a note into her sister's hand as she rushed around gathering up her things. Katy took the money and bent down to talk to Amy in the pram. "Buy yourself some lunch."

"Thanks, Rox." Katy said grinning. She watched as the blonde woman bashed her way out of the flat, having roughly the same effect as a hurricane. Then she dumped her bag on the floor, threw her jacket over the armchair and dropped onto the sofa, kicking off her boots and curling her legs up underneath her. She had no intention whatsoever of going to school.

That was the good thing about living with Roxy rather than Ronnie – Roxy had too many things whirling around her fluffy brain to bother about where Katy was and where she was supposed to be. Ronnie, lately anyway, spent most of her time in the flat with James and had nothing better to do than make sure Katy was doing what she was supposed to.

A text came through just as the teenager picked up the television remote. '_I'm gonna be in late, dentist. L x_' Katy smiled and dropped her phone onto the coffee table with a loud thump. Even better, Lauren wouldn't be wondering where she was until she got to school.

Katy flicked through the TV channels, sticking on '_Lorraine_' which was just starting on ITV. The woman from Pussycat Dolls, whose name Katy could never pronounce, was on it and the teenager watched without really listening to what was going on. She hardly noticed as the programme ended and '_Jeremy Kyle_' started.

The teenager must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, Roxy was sitting next to her, Katy's legs resting on her sister's lap. Roxy was smiling at the television and the brunette sneaked a peek at what she was watching, '_Loose Women_'. That meant it was lunchtime.

"What are you doing here?" Roxy demanded, noticing that Katy was awake.

"Couldn't be bothered with school." She shrugged. "Fancied a day off."

"Fair enough, we just won't mention this to Ronnie, yeah?" The blonde said with a grin. Katy nodded, flipped round and rested her head on Roxy's shoulder. The older woman rested her own head on the teenager's and they watched the TV, laughing at the comments being made.

They were disturbed from their bubble of contentment by the sound of the Ronnie's flat door slamming and shouting from downstairs. It was unmistakably Glenda's voice and Roxy couldn't wait to get downstairs and add her own opinions to the argument.

"You stay 'ere." Roxy ordered, jabbing her finger towards her sister. Katy didn't argue, but she was amused. Roxy was still worried about Ronnie's reaction to her letting Katy bunk off, even in the middle of a situation like this.

After a couple of moments, when Roxy's voice could clearly be heard downstairs, Katy crept down a couple of steps and sat on the staircase listening to the rather heated conversation taking place in the flat.

"_We needed you and you left us._" Ronnie was saying.

"_And now I need you and you're turning your back on me._" Glenda responded in a bitter voice.

"_I really don't want to have this conversation with you anymore._" Katy's elder sister said almost dangerously calmly.

"_Look, Glenda. I know this is hard; it's hard for all of you._" Jack said, his deep voice calming the situation. "_But, you know I just think it's best if you go. You're just hurting each other._"

"_Yeah, yeah, you're right._" Glenda's voice was cracking as though she was crying. "_Hate me all you like, the pair of you, but I was the first person to hold you and I was the first person to love you._"

Katy pulled a face. She didn't for a second believe the sentimental words or tears that she could hear in Glenda's voice. Glenda Mitchell looked after number one; no one else.

"_D'you know what… d'you know what you… you said you wanted relationships with us, you said you loved us and every time… every time you had that opportunity you ruined it. Why? Why couldn't you just be like all the other mums?_" Roxy said tearfully. Katy had to fight the strong urge that was rising up inside her to go down and lay into Glenda. But she knew that this was something that her sisters had to themselves. They had to face up to their mother.

"_Despite what you both think, I do love you. With all my heart._" There were a couple of seconds of silence. "_Look after each other._"

The flat door opened and Glenda and Jack came out into the hall. Katy quickly retreated to the top of the stairs, but didn't go into the flat. She didn't want to miss anything Glenda might say about her or her sisters. But there was nothing. Jack caught Katy's eye as he came back inside.

"Come on." He said with a weak smile. "Hiding up there must be killing you."

Katy returned his smile and jumped down the steps. Jack put his arm round her shoulders as she reached the bottom.

"Listen," he said, holding her back and talking in a low voice, "I'm sorry about throwing you out… Ron told me what happened…"

"It's not your fault… it was all mine." Katy smiled up at her brother-in-law. "We're OK now, yeah?"

"Yeah… go and look after your sisters."

The teenager didn't need telling twice. She squeezed Jack's arm and went into the flat. Ronnie and Roxy were sitting on the sofa, cuddled up. Ronnie was stroking Roxy's cheek. Almost hesitantly, Katy went and knelt in front of them, gazing up at their heartbroken faces.

"I'm really sorry." She said, meaning it. Whatever she thought of Glenda, and how happy she was that the woman was gone, Katy would never have upset her sisters for anything. Ronnie stretched out a hand and gently stroked Katy's cheek, before returning it to Roxy's hair, twiddling a strand in her fingers.

The teenager laid her head on Roxy's knee and the blonde woman stroked her hair softly. The three sisters stayed like this for a long time. Jack softly closed the bedroom door and stayed out of sight, leaving them alone.

They stayed, huddled together on the sofa, until the evening. A text came through on Katy's mobile but she ignored it. A couple of minutes later her phone beeped again. The noise seemed to bring her sisters out of their daze and Ronnie instructed her younger sister to take Roxy back upstairs and look after her while she saw to James.

When Roxy was lying on the sofa, staring at the television, Katy checked her texts. The first was from Lauren.

'_Where were you today? L x'_

Katy sent back a message saying she was ill and turned her attention to the second text.

'_Wedding's off. Shirl's left Phil. Jay' _

The teenager frowned as she read it. Maybe Glenda had been telling the truth after all. Not knowing what to reply, Katy tucked the phone back in her pocket and went to see if Roxy wanted anything.

"Nah, I'm going to the Vic… fancy it?" She asked.

"No ta… I'll stay here with Amy; save you getting Ronnie and Jack to babysit."

"Suit yourself." Roxy said with a shrug and left. Katy sighed, hoping Roxy didn't run into Glenda.


	103. Chapter 103

_**Thanks for the comments, guys :) **_

_**As to the questions: I have no idea who the father is… and neither does Katy! And secondly, because I'm finishing the story when the baby swap storyline ends/Ronnie leaves, there isn't really going to be a romance for Katy, although if there was it would probably be far too complicated to be useful to her! :) **_

_**You'll have to wait a while for the reveal… Katy can't seem to find the right moment – everything is just far too complicated! ;) **_

On Thursday afternoon Katy went nervously into the doctor's room when her name was called. She didn't have a clue what to expect from this appointment. When she'd got pregnant before she hadn't even bothered going to the doctor, she'd just phoned a clinic and booked an appointment to have a termination. She was scared now; everything seemed much more real somehow. But the doctor was very nice, he smiled and talked her through what he needed to do and then got on with it. He warned her that he would need to ask some personal questions and the teenager nodded, waiting.

"So, Miss Mitchell. When did you… have…" The doctor faltered, apparently embarrassed about asking the question. She smiled at him, showing she understood.

"You're probably going to judge me for this, but I'm not entirely sure… there are two choices. It was either the 11th or the 19th of January." Katy blushed. Saying it out loud was even worse than just remembering it.

Dr Khan smiled weakly at her. "Have you done a pregnancy test?"

"Five." Katy said with a sigh.

The doctor smiled again, more warmly this time. "Thank you, Miss Mitchell. Now, if you wouldn't mind lying on the bed, I'll take a quick look at you."

Katy did as she was asked, lying on the blue plastic bed and trying to block out what was happening. She closed her eyes, imagining that she was lying on a beach, listening to the waves crashing against the shore. She kept them closed, waiting for the verdict.

"Now, Miss Mitchell," He said smiling at her, "it's the moment of truth."

"Just tell me, am I definitely pregnant?" Katy said and winced, waiting for the inevitable.

"Yes, you are. About nine or ten weeks, I'd say." Dr Khan said with a reassuring smile. Katy didn't return it. Instead she put her thumb in her mouth and started chewing on the hardened skin around the nail, just as she had done every time she heard some news that she didn't know how to deal with. She would bite it until it bled. "There are a number of options you could consider…"

"I'm not getting an abortion." She said quickly.

The man beamed at her words. "From your notes I can see you've already had one abortion."

"Yeah…" Katy didn't want to discuss it. The memory of it still made her feel sick at herself. "If I was to continue with the pregnancy… which I am going to… what happens now? Will my sisters need to know?"

"Well, as you're eighteen, Miss Mitchell, you're legally an adult so all decisions are down to you. I'm not allowed to tell anyone about your condition without your permission, but I would advise you to tell your family about it."

"My condition?" Katy said with a laugh. "I'm pregnant, that's not a condition. My mother had a condition."

"Quite." Dr Khan said with a smile, obviously having read her notes. "But my advice is still to tell someone about your pregnancy, especially as you are so young and have had an aborted pregnancy before."

"Alright, doc." Katy agreed with a sigh. "I'll tell Ronnie and Roxy, but only when the time's right."

"Good girl. Now, you'll need to go for a scan, so I'll set up an appointment at the hospital for you and we'll contact you with the details once it's all sorted. Once you get there they'll be able to tell you a lot more and answer any questions you might have."

Katy scribbled her mobile number on a scrap of paper and pushed it towards Dr Khan. "Please ring my mobile, otherwise Ronnie or Roxy might pick up and panic."

Dr Khan smiled and took the paper. "Of course."

He showed her out and arranged for her details to be updated to use the mobile number rather than the landline at the flat. Then Katy went outside, taking a deep breath. She pulled out her mobile and dialled Lauren's number. Her friend answered on the second ring.

"Well?"

"The tests were right."

"Oh, babe…" Lauren said, her voice cracking with sympathy. "Come over. I'm on my way home now. Everyone else is still out, so we'll have the house to ourselves."

"Nah, you're alright. Thanks for the offer, but I don't feel like company. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Alright, if you're sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine. I just want to be on my own to think about stuff." Katy assured her friend.

"Alright, love, I'll see you in the morning."

Katy hung up and stared at her phone. There was only one person she wanted to speak to and it was the person that she hadn't spoken to for a long time. Peggy.

The teenager went to the allotments where she wouldn't be overheard and rang her Aunt. The phone seemed to ring for ages before the woman answered the call.

"'Ello? Katy? You alright, darlin'?" Peggy asked worriedly. Katy burst into tears at the sound of her voice. She couldn't help herself. "Katy? What's wrong?"

"Everything!"

"Calm down and tell me, I ain't a bleedin' mind-reader, am I?" Peggy said on the other end of the phone. Katy took a deep breath before answering.

"I'm pregnant and I don't know what to do and I don't know who to tell. I wanna tell Ronnie and Roxy, but they've got enough on their plates, what with Glenda stealing Rox's money and Ron's post-natal depression or whatever it is. And Whitney's vanished and Lauren's really worried about me and I really want you, Auntie Peg." Katy gabbled, hardly breathing.

"I didn't catch all of that, darlin', but I got the gist of it." Peggy said quickly. "I ain't coming back to the Square, but I'll meet you on the High Street; that little café next to the bank? Can you be there at half past?"

Katy glanced at her watch, it was ten to four. "Yeah, I'll meet you there."

"Alright, darlin'." Peggy said gently. "See you later."


	104. Chapter 104

As Katy made her way through the Square she bumped into a girl walking quickly in the other direction. Internally the girl swore at the delay in her journey; she'd been trying to get away without being noticed at all.

"Sorry…" She muttered, bending down to pick up the other girl's bag which had fallen to the floor. Hurriedly she shoved its contents back in and stood up. She had to take several deep breaths as her head started spinning slightly and stars appeared in front of her eyes.

"That's alright… Katy, isn't it? Katy Mitchell?" She said with a broad smile, taking back her bag.

"Yeah…" Katy vaguely recognised the girl, thinking she was Tamwar Masood's girlfriend, but she couldn't remember her name.

"Afia," the girl said with a smile, "Afia Khan."

"Right… sorry, Afia, I don't mean to be rude but I'm kinda in a hurry…" Katy said, glancing at her watch; it was ten past four already. She'd only popped home to pick up the birthday card and present she'd bought for her Aunt. Peggy's birthday wasn't for another two weeks or so, but she wasn't sure if she'd see the older woman again before then.

"Oh, OK." Afia said with another smile. "Dad, Dr Khan, just mentioned you've been having a tough time and might want a friend to talk to so… if you want to talk I'll be around somewhere."

"What's he said?" Katy demanded stepping threateningly towards the girl. Wasn't there some kind of code that meant Dr Khan couldn't tell anyone about their appointment without her permission? In fact, he'd promised he wouldn't say anything to anyone.

"Nothing." The girl said truthfully, standing her ground. "He just said that you'd seemed upset when you went to see him and might want to talk to someone you didn't know. He'd never tell me anything confidential, he's not like that."

"Right… thanks… I'll bear that in mind." Katy said reluctantly believing her. "But I really have to go."

"OK, see you."

"Yeah… bye." Katy walked away quickly, thinking hard about what the girl had said. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her leave. She didn't want them to know she was going to see Auntie Peggy; Ronnie and Roxy had been trying to get in touch with her, but the woman wasn't answering their calls. She'd told Katy that if she saw them or even spoke to them she wouldn't be able to stay away, which was what she needed to do.

As she walked, her pace quicker than usual in her eagerness to see her Aunt, Katy thought about Afia's words. Would it help her to speak to someone she didn't know very well about how she was feeling? Or had someone else put the girl up to speaking to her? She'd never spoken to Afia before, how did the girl know who she was?

She was thinking so hard, Katy almost walked straight past the café where she was meeting Peggy. It was only because she tripped slightly over a loose paving slab that she realised where she was and turned into the shop, spotting her Aunt's familiar smiling face at a table in the back corner.

"Hello, darling." Peggy said, holding out her arms and smiling sadly at her niece. Fighting the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks, Katy fell into the outstretched arms and hugged Peggy tightly. "How are you?"

"Pregnant." Katy mumbled without thinking. Peggy held her at arm's length, surveying her sympathetically.

"Sit down and tell me what's been happening. We'll get to that later." She said with a wry smile, pointing to Katy's stomach. "Right now I want you to start from the very beginning and tell me everything that's been going on."

Katy sniffed and did as she was told, starting from just after Peggy had left the Square. She talked and talked. Peggy didn't interrupt at all; she just sat and listened, nodding and shaking her head when it was needed and covering her mouth with her hands at other points. When Katy had finished the story, with only a brief interruption when a waitress came to take their order, Peggy squeezed her hand, her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry, darling. To all of you… you've been through so much."

"Then please come home." Katy begged. "We need you."

Peggy gave her a rueful smile and shook her head. "I can't, love. Albert Square, Walford, it's not my home anymore."

"But it could be. Home is where the heart is, right?" Katy said hopefully, trying to persuade her Aunt to come home.

"Sorry, Katy." Peggy shook her head. "I can't."

"Alright…" Katy nodded and took a deep breath. "I didn't think you'd agree. Just seeing you is enough."

Peggy stroked Katy's cheek with her fingertips. "D'you know something? You're more beautiful and much more like Ronnie than I remembered."

"What d'you mean?" Katy's heart thudded at the words. She flipped through her memory, settling on the conversation she and her elder sister had had on the way to see Connor at the hospital. It seemed such a long time ago now, much more than the month and a half or so it had been.

"I mean you look like your sister, darling." Peggy said, slightly taken aback at the sharpness of her niece's tone. "Much more like Ronnie than Roxy."

"Oh…" Katy forced herself to smile. "I'd better go…" She glanced at the time on her phone. It was almost six o'clock. She didn't know where the time had gone, but if she wasn't back soon surely someone would notice she was missing.

"Oi, don't shut me out." Peggy said softly, clutched Katy's arm and smiling at her. Katy smiled weakly back and leant into her, hugging her tightly. When they broke apart, Katy remembered the birthday present.

"Here…" she handed Peggy the parcel and looked a little awkward. "It's nothing much…"

Looking touched, the older woman unwrapped her present and smiled down at it, a single tear dropping from her eyes. Katy had bought her a photo album and filled it with all the family photos she could find – she'd had to beg, borrow and steal them from whoever she could get hold of.

"Thank –" Peggy started, her voice cracking with emotion. When she looked up the teenager had gone. The woman smiled and shook her head. She pulled out her mobile and dialled Katy's number. After a couple of rings she answered. "Thank you, darling."

"It's OK. Sorry I ran off… I would have bawled my eyes out and refused to let you go if I'd had to say goodbye." Katy admitted.

"I know, darling, don't worry."

"I'll speak to you soon, yeah?"

"Take care of your sisters for me." Peggy demanded. Katy agreed that she would; she'd do her best anyway.


	105. Chapter 105

When Katy got home from her meeting with her Aunt, she went straight to her bedroom and shut herself in. She'd moved back in with Ronnie after Glenda had left but, for the last couple of nights Roxy and Amy had been sleeping in her room as well.

She turned her mobile off and dropped it onto the floor. Then she pulled her chest of drawers in front of the bedroom door so that it couldn't be opened. She wasn't thinking straight. All she wanted to do was be on her own. The next day – Friday March 11th – was going to be one of the hardest of the year; it would have been her mother's fortieth birthday.

The Mitchell teenager curled herself up on her bed and closed her eyes, shaking with silent tears as she thought about everything that she'd lost, found and was going to have. Everything moved so quickly and she was scared that it was going to push her over the edge. She'd been feeling as though she was someone else, watching Katy Mitchell from a distance.

x

Lauren looked down at her mobile which had started ringing, making her, Abi and Tanya jump. The teenager slipped out of the room and closed the door before answering it. She frowned slightly, reading the name on the display, Ronnie Mitchell.

"Hello?" She asked curiously.

"Lauren, hi." Ronnie said. Her usual calm tone had vanished and been replaced with something more urgent. "It's Ronnie. Can you come over, please? I think we may need your help with Katy."

"Why? What's happened?" The teenager demanded quickly, sitting down heavily on the bottom step of the staircase.

Ronnie sighed. "She's shut herself in her room and turned her phone off. We can't get in and she won't talk to us. Has something happened?"

Lauren hesitated. "I don't think so." Lauren lied. She crossed her fingers in her lap. "I'll be right over." She hung up and poked her head around the front room door. "Mum, I'm just popping over to Katy's."

"Lauren? It's half ten?" Tanya complained.

"It's important." Lauren said quickly, giving her mother a meaningful look. Tanya stood up and followed her older daughter out of the room, closing the door behind her so that Abi couldn't hear.

"What's happened? Is Katy alright?"

"Yeah… no… I dunno… she's shut herself in her room and won't talk to Ronnie or Roxy." Lauren shrugged, pulling on her jacket. "Something must have happened after the doctors… she was alright when she phoned me."

"I'll come with you." Tanya reached out to take her jacket off the hooks but Lauren stopped her.

"What reason would you have for coming over?" She asked shaking her head. "It would make them suspicious."

"No it wouldn't. Don't argue with me, darling." The blonde woman said, pointing her finger warningly at her daughter. "Let's go."

x

"Here." Tanya handed Ronnie a mug of coffee which the taller woman took absentmindedly. She handed another to Roxy and sat beside her on the sofa. Lauren was leaning against the door to Katy's bedroom, doing her best to coax her friend out. She didn't even know if Katy was listening.

"Listen, babe," She said softly, "I can't help if you won't talk to me. What's the matter?"

There was no response and Lauren shook her head, moving to where the three women were huddled. Lauren knew as well, if not better, than most that Katy wouldn't do anything she really didn't want to do. If she wanted to stay in that room in silence then she would. For as long as she felt like.

"You tried your best." Tanya said smiling weakly. She shot her daughter a look that blatantly said, 'maybe we should just tell them' and raised her eyebrows. Lauren gave a sharp shake of her head and frowned. She was sure that Ronnie had seen the exchange between the two women, but as she didn't say anything Lauren didn't dwell on the thought.

"Oh… shit." Lauren muttered. A thought had just hit her; slapped her in the face like Katy had once when Lauren had said something negative about Roxy. Katy's sisters looked at her wide-eyed.

"What?" Roxy demanded shuffling closer to Lauren.

"Tomorrow's her mum's birthday. And… she told me that she wanted to go back to Newport, to go to Karen's grave." Lauren said feeling a total idiot for not remembering about it before. Since their conversation, it had completely slipped her mind; she hadn't even asked Katy about the arrangements.

"Are you sure she's even in there, then?" Tanya asked, concerned. Katy's sisters exchanged a look and jumped towards the door, hammering on it with all their might.

"Katherine Margaret Flamin' Mitchell!" Roxy almost screamed, bashing at the door with her palms. Beside her, Ronnie was thumping the door with her balled fists.

"If you don't open this door, I swear to God…" She threatened.

x

Katy tried to block out Lauren's voice, with her pillow over her head. She couldn't believe Ronnie and Roxy had called her friend over to make her see sense.

"I can't help if you won't talk to me. What's the matter?" Lauren was saying from outside the door. For a moment, Katy considered opening the door enough to let her friend in, but then everything went quiet and she abruptly changed her mind. If Lauren had given up then that was her problem.

Shaking her head, and wiping a tear off her cheek at the same time, Katy returned her attention to the pad of paper in front of her. She was trying to write a letter to her mum, something she could take with her when she went to visit the grave. It was proving much more difficult to do than she'd ever considered. Katy was on her fourth attempt already.

'**Hey, mum… how's it going? I hope you're giving them up there the run-around? Showing them who's boss?**' She'd written. '**Don't worry about me… I found Ronnie and Roxy and they're just as amazing as you imagined. They're exactly the way you described them to me all those times. You'd love them.**'

Then she'd got stuck and paused, listening to Lauren talking to her through the door. When her friend went quiet, Katy returned to the letter. '**There are so many things I'd love to tell you, so many things I wish I had said to you when I had the chance. But that's the problem with hindsight, isn't it? You can see the problems with your decisions; problems you'd never consider at the time. Looking back, I wish I'd never gone out that night; I wish that I'd been there to look after you. But then I wouldn't have done the things I've done in the past year, I wouldn't have met the people who've done so much for me and become so much to me. No, given the chance to re-write the past, I have no idea what I'd do.**'

She sighed and listened to the noise outside. Her sisters had taken over the shouting now.

"Katherine Margaret Flamin' Mitchell!" Roxy was screaming.

'**I love you, mam. Always have, always will. Whatever happens. All my love, forever, Katy xxx**'

"If you don't open this door, I swear to God…" Ronnie hissed.

Katy smiled, tucked the letter inside an envelope and put it into her bedside cabinet. Then she moved across the room, pushed the chest of drawers aside and opened the door.

"What's all the shouting about?" She asked innocently.


	106. Chapter 106

_**AlexGinny1… I never thought of a sequel! But I love Katy's character so much and seeing as I've just written the last chapter **__**maybe**__** I could bring her back at some point… but it wouldn't be for a while because there'd need to be a good storyline to bring her back. I wouldn't want to just keep writing her for the sake of it because I wouldn't want it to get boring! What do you think?**_

After Katy had come out of her bedroom, Ronnie and Roxy had got Lauren and Tanya to leave, before they sat Katy down on the sofa and tried to talk to her. The teenager wasn't eager to stay and listen to what her sisters were saying, but she knew she didn't really have a choice. They lectured her about her behaviour, which didn't really have much effect on the teenager, until they changed tack and tried to get her to talk about her mother.

Then Katy had really shut down. She refused to say anything and, in the end, Ronnie had sent her off to bed. The two older women didn't know what else to do with their teenage sister. They had enough to think about without her throwing tantrums left, right and centre.

"D'you think there's anything… you know… wrong with her?" Roxy asked, not thinking about how she sounded. "What with her mum bring… loopy?" Ronnie raised an eyebrow at her younger sister's insensitive turn of phrase.

"I don't know. What was wrong with her mum?" Ronnie asked, considering the possibility. Roxy shrugged. "I doubt it though, she's a teenager. She's got a mouth on her and an attitude. Remember what you were like." She smiled fondly and stroked her younger sister's cheek. Roxy leant against Ronnie heavily.

"I guess… it's not as if she's got the easiest life around here, is it."

"Being a Mitchell is never easy."

"That's true… but what with everything that's been going on… maybe we needed to pay her more attention?"

"She gets more attention than I do!" Roxy whined. "She'll end up all spoilt."

"Shut up you!" Ronnie laughed. "Go and get Amy, you can sleep here again if you want. Her highness can share for another night or two."

"Nah, you're alright." Roxy said yawning and stretching. She offered her cheek for Ronnie to kiss and then stood up with a smile. "I've got to get used to living on my own again. We'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

"Alright." Ronnie said returning the smile. "Night."

The oldest Mitchell sister watched Roxy leave and smiled fondly to herself. Everything that was happening was affecting everything else. Ronnie was the oldest; she needed to hold them together. It was her job. As she made her way to bed, she told herself that things were going to sort themselves out. If it was the last thing she did.

x

"Alright, Lauren?" Ronnie asked the next morning. The teenager had come into the flat to wait for Katy. Ronnie was determined that her younger sister was going to school. "Tea? Coffee?"

"No thanks, Ronnie." Lauren said with a smile. "I had a coffee before I left."

Katy opened her bedroom door and smiled at her best friend and her sister. She'd had some very strange dreams that night and was almost grateful to see them both completely normal. Her mobile began to ring and Katy frowned at the unknown number for a moment before answering.

"Hello?" She said blankly.

"Hello, is that Katherine Mitchell?" a posh voice on the other end of the phone asked.

"Yep, this is Katy."

"Hello, Miss Mitchell, this is Alexandra from Albert Square Surgery calling."

"Oh…" Katy looked shiftily at the two women who were watching her curiously.

"I was just ringing to inform you that you've been booked in for your meeting with your midwife, the dating scan and a talk about future appointments and things. We've got down Tuesday at half past eleven, is that alright? It'll be here at the surgery, because the midwife's doing her surgery visits that day"

Katy thought quickly, but she couldn't work out what that would mean missing. On the other hand, she doubted she'd bother going into school anyway.

"Yeah, that's sounds fine, thanks."

"Brilliant. Just come to the surgery and sign yourself in. Thank you."

"Thanks…" Katy hung up, shoved her phone into her pocket and turned around to face her sister, rearranging her face into a casual expression and thinking quickly as she did so.

"What was that about?" Ronnie asked narrowing her eyes at the strange phone call and Katy's reaction to it.

"Just a girl from school… Poppy… about our Geography project." Katy said with a shrug.

"Alright." Ronnie said with a shrug. The teenager knew Ronnie didn't believe her and Ronnie knew she knew. The blonde walked over to her sister and put a hand either side of her cheek. "I know today's going to be hard for you, but I really want you to go to school, OK. Please try and act normally. Phil and Shirley's wedding is this afternoon and Jay's been bugging me about whether you're going. Are you?"

Katy shrugged. "I dunno… what time is it?"

"I'm not sure… this afternoon though, after school. Think about it, yeah, you can go from here when you get home if you decide to go." Ronnie told her with a smile.

x

"You gonna go then?" Lauren asked as they sat in the History classroom after break, waiting for Mrs Kelley to arrive.

"I dunno… depends how I feel when I get home." Katy said with a shrug. "I've never been to a wedding before."

"I meant Newport; you're mum's grave." Lauren said in a low voice.

"Oh…" Katy thought about it for a moment. She hadn't intended to remind Lauren of her plan so that her friend wouldn't ask to go with her. Katy had decided to go on her own, but now Lauren had brought it up she'd put Katy in a corner.

"So are you?" Lauren pressed the matter a while later when they were getting on with their work.

"Yeah. Tomorrow morning." Katy said making up her mind. She pulled her mobile out and searched for train times under the table. "There's a train at eight forty-five from Paddington. It gets into Newport at twenty to eleven. You still want to come with me?"

"Of course." Lauren said instantly. "How much?"

"Thirty quid."

"And back?"

"There's one at twenty to five that's twenty quid?"

"Cool. So I'll meet you at eight outside yours? Are you telling your sisters?" Lauren asked in a low voice, wondering whether she'd have to tell her mum and warn her that they didn't know or not.

"Lauren and Katy, could you please concentrate on your work rather than your social calendars, please?" Mrs Kelley asked, raising her eyebrows at them. Katy didn't reply to Lauren, but she nodded in reply.


	107. Chapter 107

_**Spoiler? I think I know what you're talking about. Message me and fill me in on the gossip! :P I know… I hate what they've been doing to Ronnie… it's just so unnecessarily harsh!**_

The next morning Katy was waiting outside the flat for Lauren. She'd scribbled a note to her sisters which she'd left on the counter where she knew Ronnie would see it straight away. The teenager figured that they couldn't get angry at her if she'd told them where she was going, who with and why. She'd even told them which train she and Lauren were planning on catching back.

"Morning." Lauren said, striding towards her. "Ready?"

Katy nodded. "You?"

"Yeah… I told mum where we're going." Lauren winced as though she thought Katy would get annoyed at her. Her friend merely shrugged. Lauren sighed inwardly at how up and down Katy's moods were. Tanya had tried to convince her that it was the teenager's hormones playing up, but Lauren wasn't convinced that was all that was wrong.

"Cool, I left Ronnie and Roxy a note."

They walked to the tube station quickly. Once they were sitting on the train heading towards central London and then to Paddington Station, Lauren turned to Katy expectantly.

"So? Did Phil and Shirley get married after all?" She asked. "Dad said they'd called the wedding off. Then it was back on again."

"No!" Katy rolled her eyes. "Do they ever do what's expected?" The teenager told Lauren every single detail of what had happened during the event. She'd been sitting with Jay and the pair of them had mulled the situation over on the way back to Walford with Ben. All three had decided that Phil and Shirley were probably a lot better off not married. They couldn't see the couple as a traditional husband and wife; neither of them really had it in them.

When they reached the station, they bought their tickets and headed to the platform. Katy wasn't as sure of herself around all the people milling around the station as Lauren was. The younger girl had evidently had far more experience of this type of situation.

"So… are we just going to the grave?" Lauren asked, almost nervously. They were getting there quite early, considering they weren't leaving until after half past five. "Or is there anything else you were planning on doing?"

Katy shrugged. She hadn't really thought about what she was going to do while she was back in her old hometown, but now Lauren wanted to know the teenager started to think about it.

"Maybe we could go and see my old house?" She suggested tentatively, worried Lauren wouldn't want to. "Or go and look at some of the places I used to go?"

"Sounds good." Lauren assured her friend with a smile and a squeeze of her arm, hoping that getting this out of her system would help Katy settle down properly.

x

When they arrived in Newport, the first thing Katy wanted to do was go to her mother's grave. She couldn't even remember what she'd asked the funeral directors to put on the headstone. She and Lauren walked the half an hour walk from the train station to the cemetery, hardly talking. Occasionally someone would do a double take after the girls, but no one spoke to them.

Through the large gates and into the cemetery Katy took several deep breaths, trying to steady herself and stop the nausea in her stomach. Lauren linked her arm through her best friends and squeezed her shoulder with her free hand.

"It's OK." She assured her softly. "Where's the grave?"

Katy pointed towards the back of the graveyard. Lauren shuddered slightly at the idea of walking between all the graves, but she started walking firmly in the direction Katy had pointed.

The Mitchell teenager found the graveyard oddly comforting. The older gravestones were best; sunken into the ground at odd angles, the old-fashioned writing, all the people and stories completely forgotten about in time. Someday, hopefully a long time from now, Katy would be just another memory as well.

"Where now?" Lauren asked, breaking Katy's train of thought. They'd reached the newer part of the cemetery now. The gravestones were shiny and new, many were decorated with flowers and other decorations. She looked around blankly, trying to get her bearings.

"That way." She said decisively, pointing to the left. "Underneath that tree."

The girls made their way to the large yew tree that was casting a shadow over several headstones. In a daze, Katy walked along the row, reading the names until she stopped in front of a light grey stone with silver lettering. On one side was a photograph of a smiling woman.

"Karen Elizabeth Parker," Katy read out loud in an expressionless voice, "11th March 1971 to 12th December 2009. Died, aged 38, beloved Mother, Sister and Aunt. She will be greatly missed by all." The teenager gave a sardonic laugh and turned away.

"What?" Lauren asked, shocked at her friend's reaction.

"That… 'beloved Mother, Sister and Aunt.' Only the first part is right. My Aunts and cousins couldn't give a damn." Katy snapped, glancing around. "Hang on." She disappeared along the path for a moment and returned with a bunch of gaudy, colourful flowers which she gently propped up against the headstone beside the letter she placed gently on the ground. Lauren didn't bother to ask where she'd got them from. Katy smiled weakly. "She'd have loved these."

"I didn't know you had an Aunt." Lauren said quietly as they left the cemetery and started along the road towards the area of the city where Katy had lived. They'd visited the grave of old Mrs Wilson and Katy had told Lauren about her in a small voice. The teenager hadn't heard if her killer had been thought. The memory of her murder still made Katy feel sick.

"Yeah… Mam had two sisters; they were triplets." Katy said after a couple of minutes. Lauren looked surprised. She'd always assumed that the Mitchells were Katy's only family after her mother died. "Anna and Jo. They never really got on with her after she got ill. They were all really close before, but then suddenly Mam was different. I don't think they could get their heads round how much she changed. Anna married a surgeon, John Levy, and they have three kids. William's 17 and Shannon and Jennifer are about 15. Auntie Jo married a lawyer, Mike Williams, and has four kids. Bobby and Luke are twelve, Maggie's seven and Sophy will be about four now."

Lauren listened astonished as Katy talked. She'd never imagined Katy having another family, especially not one as big as that. She had seven cousins and, while that was nothing compared to the number Lauren had – sometimes it felt to the teenager that she was related to everyone on the Square – it was hardly something to be ignored.

"Haven't they tried to get in contact with you?" She asked as they turned a corner into a rough-looking street. Several burnt out cars were parked half on, half off the pavement. A teenager in a tracksuit top and joggers stared after them as they passed, a cigarette tucked behind his ear and another clamped between his lips. Lauren looked at him warily as they passed, but Katy nodded at him.

"Alright Log?" She asked and the guy nodded back, offering her a cigarette. "No ta, given up."

"You know him?" Lauren whispered, glancing over her shoulder at the guy who was eyeballing them.

"Yeah… we go way back." Katy didn't seem keen to talk about the subject so Lauren repeated her question about her Aunts. "No. Before the funeral I hadn't seen either of my aunts for years and I've never met Maggie or Sophy. I don't think I've actually seen any of the others since my Nan died in 2004. I only know what I do because of things Anna and Jo told me at the funeral."

"That's horrible!" Lauren said. Although she sometimes hated her family being everywhere she looked and getting involved in her business, the thought that they wouldn't care if they never saw her made her feel like crying.

"Yeah well, that's life." Katy said with a shrug clearly not wanting to discuss her family anymore. Lauren was still stunned by the news that Katy had living relatives on her mother's side. In the almost twelve months since Lauren had known Katy she had never once heard her speak about them, let alone heard anything to suggest they'd contacted her. She made a mental note of the names, deciding to see if she could do some detective work later.


	108. Chapter 108

They walked for a long time, it seemed to Lauren. They turned off the main road and into an area with a lot of houses that were identical. Katy took a left and Lauren followed. At the end of that road, they took a left and came to a circle of concrete with lots of cars, some obviously abandoned and others perhaps not, parked all the way around. As they stood on the edge of the pavement facing the circle, Katy pointed to the large building straight in front.

Lauren looked at it. She guessed that it must be a block of very tiny flats. She looked where Katy was pointing at a small balcony on the top floor. The windows were dirty and the house was badly in need of a lick of paint.

"That was our flat." Katy said in a smile voice. "Before they moved us to a house when I was fourteen and Mam got worse."

Lauren nodded, but didn't know what to say. After staring at the house for a while, Katy started to walk back the way they'd come and the younger girl followed, not wanting to stay behind. Several people were watching them suspiciously and Lauren was sure she'd seen a few curtains twitching.

They carried on along the road, past the pathway they'd walked along to get to the flats and onto a road that lead straight onto a roundabout. Here, houses in terraces of three or four, stood starkly. This time Katy stopped outside the house that was on the end of the second set, closest to the roundabout.

"This is where they moved us." Katy informed Lauren pointing at the house. "Number 4."

It was small and dingy and not very well looked after. Lauren thought that it was probably a two up, two down house at the most. Katy probably had more space in Ronnie and Jack's flat than she had done in that house. In the front garden was an overgrown lawn and a few, straggly, neglected shrubs. The whole area was a million miles away from Albert Square. Lauren knew she wouldn't have been able to live there.

"Come on," Katy said after a few moments, "let's go, it takes ages to get back to the city on the bus."

Lauren followed Katy as she headed away from the house in the opposite direction to the roundabout. They only walked for about five or six minutes until they arrived at the bus stop. There was no shelter or anything, only a pole sticking out of the ground and a board at the top with the street name and bus numbers on it. The girls waited for about five minutes before their transport arrived.

While they were heading towards the city, Lauren had to bite her tongue to stop herself badgering Katy with questions. The older girl obviously didn't want to talk, so her friend restrained herself. They got off the bus and headed into a small café where they ordered a bowl of chips each and a drink.

"What d'you wanna do now?" Lauren asked, glancing at her watch. "It's just gone two so we've got about three and a half hours before our train leaves."

"Fancy hanging around town and doing a bit of shopping?" Katy asked, biting the end of one of her chips.

"You sure… you're not likely to run into anyone you'd rather avoid?" Lauren asked nervously. Katy looked at her pointedly with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I can handle any chavvy ex friends I may run into." She said with a grin.

x

The pair were coming out of Topshop and turned to go into Boots next door, when three girls stood in their way, blocking their path. Lauren stared at them, apart from their different hair colours – one bleach blonde, one deep red and the other obviously dyed black – they looked practically identical. Each had her hair pulled tightly back into a high pony tail, dark eye makeup and big hooped earrings. Their style, Lauren realised with a jolt, was very similar to Katy's.

"Alright, Mitchell?" The bleach blonde one asked, her arms folded over her chest. She was chewing gum noisily. "Ain't seen you around in a while… heard you was living down London?"

"Yeah, I am." Katy said evasively. "Just come back for a visit."

"Who's your mate? Lost your manners down South?"

"This is Lauren." Katy said, almost reluctant to introduce her friend to the three girls. "This is Dixie, Shaye and Lyla."

Dixie, the bleach blonde teenager, looked Lauren up and down with a sneer. The other two followed suit before obviously deciding that she wasn't worth their attention and turning back to Katy.

"So… heard you spoke to Deano Parry? You seen Nath? He's down your way with Daze, ain't he?" Dixie asked. Katy froze at the mention of Nathan and Lauren squeezed her arm.

"Yeah… I ran into them."

"Fancy hanging out for a bit?" Shaye, the red-head, asked moving closer to Katy and nudging Lauren backwards as she did so. Lauren, annoyed, nudged her back as she moved back into the space she'd been standing in beside Katy. Shaye turned to face Lauren, glaring at her for daring to touch her. "Got a problem?"

"I dunno… depends what you'd call a problem." Lauren said spikily, looking the girl up and down. Beside Shaye, Dix and Lyla moved in, puffing themselves up to look threatening. Lauren pulled herself up as well, showing that she wasn't intimidated.

"Oi!" Katy said, moving between the girls. "Back off, Shaye. Lauren's cool, so leave it, yeah?"

"What, you gonna stop me, Mitchell?" The girl taunted, getting in Katy's face.

"If I have to, yeah." Katy said with a smirk. "And we both know I can, so back off."

"Leave it, Shaye." Dixie said in a low, amused voice. "She ain't worth it."

Katy shoved her old friend backwards. Shaye's eyes narrowed and she stepped forwards shoving Katy back. The teenager wasn't expecting the push and stumbled falling heavily onto the bench beside her. Instinctively her hand shot to her stomach and the blood boiled in her veins. Something snapped inside Katy and she saw red.

"You alri–" Lauren started to say reaching out to touch her friend's arm soothingly but Katy shrugged her off and leapt at Shaye. She pulled at her hair and punched her furiously. Shaye fell to the floor and Katy kicked her. In the end, Lauren had to drag Katy away.

"Just get back to London, yeah Mitchell." Dixie spat, helping her friend up off the ground, glaring at Katy and Lauren. "If I see you around here again, you're dead. Get me?"


	109. Chapter 109

"What the HELL got into you?" Lauren hissed as she pushed Katy onto their train a little while later. The younger teenager had done her best to navigate through the streets back to the train station, pulling a zombie-like Katy with her. "Feel better now?"

The Mitchell turned to her, with a smirk on her face. "Yeah, much thanks. I had to show them."

"Show them what?" Lauren snapped.

"That I'm still Katy Mitchell. I'm still the bitch they knew back when I lived here."

Lauren was shocked. "But that's not you. That isn't you, Katy. You're not that person anymore."

She remembered how Katy had been when she first arrived on the Square. The teenager had been ready to pick a fight with anyone who looked the wrong way at her. As she started at Walford High, Katy had immediately got a reputation as a girl not to be crossed. With her Welsh accent, so different from everyone around her, 'look-at-me-funny-and-face-the-consequences' attitude and family reputation, not even the toughest students bothered her. But Katy wasn't just tough, she was clever; she never got caught. She'd got into countless fights at the beginning. 'Claiming her territory' she'd jokily told her friends. But she was always careful to make sure wind of her actions never got back to her sisters. Lauren was sure that Phil and Shirley knew what the teenager had been up to, but she guessed they were proud of her; probably encouraged her too.

But slowly Katy had calmed down. She'd stopped feeling the need to fight as she'd gained the undisputed title of Queen Bee at Walford High. Lauren had been happier since she'd stopped getting herself into scrapes. And Katy had been different; she'd acted like her true self. She was funny, hilariously funny, when she let herself act naturally.

"I guess I haven't changed as much as you thought." Katy said with a shrug, staring out of the train window.

x

"How was your day?" Ronnie asked as Katy walked into the flat. She'd left Lauren outside her own house. The train journey into Paddington had been slightly strained as her friend was still shocked and annoyed by Katy's behaviour, but the tube journey back to Albert Square had seen their relationship go back to normal. Katy had even apologised for her behaviour; something that was very rare indeed.

"It was good." Katy told her with a smile and a sigh, deciding to gloss over the bad parts. "I feel a lot better now."

And she did. Going back to Newport, and then coming home again, had made her feel lighter, happier, calmer. It was as though a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I'm glad." Her sister said leaning backwards and smiling up at her. "We're having Chinese… go and tell Rox what you want."

Katy ruffled her sister's hair and headed upstairs to see Roxy. Amy was sitting on the floor in the middle of the landing and Katy nudged her gently with her foot as she passed. The little girl giggled and got to her feet, running along the corridor and launching herself at the back of her Aunt.

"Alright, babe?" Roxy asked. "Good day?"

"Yeah, thanks." Katy agreed with a smile, lifting Amy to sit on her hip. "Ronnie said you were ordering dinner?"

"What d'you want?"

"Chicken chow mein?" Katy asked, flipping through the menu. Roxy nodded and circled the number on the folded piece of paper. "I'll take Amy down, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Roxy said pulling out her model to order. As Katy turned, her older sister put her head on one side scrutinising her as she walked away. "I dunno whether you should be having Chinese, babe, you've definitely put on weight." Katy narrowed her eyes and glared at her sister who raised her eyebrows and shrugged. She didn't respond, just carried the toddler down the stairs and into the living room.

Later that evening Katy flicked through the channels on the muted television in Roxy's flat. Amy was in bed and the teenager was watching her niece and nephew while her sisters were working at the club.

She looked down at her stomach, wondering if Roxy or even Ronnie had realised what was happening to her. There was no bump, yet, but Roxy had been right, Katy's clothes had started to feel a little tight on her. Katy changed out of her skinny jeans and into some jogging bottoms, which were far more comfortable, and curled her legs underneath her on the sofa.

Finding the right moment to tell her sisters that she was pregnant was proving far more difficult than she'd imagined. Everything else that was going on was making it incredibly hard to say the words. Glenda's betrayal and departure made the teenager incredibly unwilling to spring anything else on the two women, because she knew how fragile they were at the moment.

Katy fell asleep still trying to work out what to do about her big news. She didn't hear her sisters come in from R&R in the early hours of the morning and turn off the TV. She didn't even feel Ronnie gently covering her with the duvet from her bed. The blonde stared down at her younger sister, pushing a strand of dark hair off the teenager's face. Ronnie sighed, wondering what Katy could be dreaming about to make her screw up her face like that. With a last look at the sleeping girl, her sister lifted her son out of his carry cot and carried him to her bedroom, closing the door with a soft click. On the sofa, Katy sighed deeply and rolled over, holding on to the corner of the duvet as though it were a lifeline.


	110. Chapter 110

"And then she was going on about how no one wants to go to Pardeep's party with me and how I don't have a life and just sit around trashing everybody else's." Lauren ranted to Katy as they sat in the café waiting for Mercy and Fat Boy to arrive a couple of afternoons later. They'd got through a day of school and then Lauren had apparently had arguments with Max and Abi, which she was now telling Katy all about. "So I told her, yeah, that I do have a life, actually. It's just not great."

"Hey!" Katy said pretending to be annoyed. "Your life is fine! You have me for one thing." She joked. Lauren smiled but didn't look entirely convinced. She was prevented from saying anything else, however, by the noisy arrival of their friends at the table.

"_You're insane! You're not thinking!_" Mercy was ranting at Fat Boy while he tried to calm her down. "_You're not well!"_

"_Don't say that, alright._" Fat Boy said, looking at Katy slightly warily remembering about her mum. The Mitchell shot him a weak smile and raised her eyebrows.

"_Your father is a bank manager._" Mercy continued regardless. "_His father is a bank manager._" She repeated forcefully looking between Katy and Lauren who looked back in confusion.

"_I got the stall._" Fat Boy clarified, noting their confusion. Lauren and Katy both grinned at him, pleased that he'd got what he wanted.

"Nice one! Well done, Fats!" Katy said with a grin. "You'll be great on a stall."

"_Oh, wicked!_" Lauren said at almost exactly the same moment.

"_You see, wicked._" The boy said cheerfully turning back to Mercy. She didn't look as though she thought it was a good thing at all.

"_So all that work, thrown all away, so close to exams?_" The girl spat back. "_D'you know, it will break your parents' hearts._"

"_Yeah, well you know what, what goes around comes around Merce. Yeah? I don't need… I don't need my parent's approval, ok Merce?_"

Katy and Lauren were exchanged totally confused looks throughout the pair's argument. Between them they couldn't understand why their friends weren't a couple – they acted enough like one.

"_Your parents are nice people._"

"_Well your parents are nice people._" Fat Boy replied quickly. "_Or they look it… in the photo. But you don't live in their pockets, do you? No. You've got your own life, alright? I mean you're not even on the same continent as them._"

Katy looked quickly at Mercy. She thought that Fat Boy had gone too far with that last comment. It was hard enough for the Mitchell teenager having lost both her parents, but Mercy's were alive. She just didn't get to see them. Katy couldn't imagine how hard that must be.

"Fats!" She said, shocked. The boy looked at her for a second, but continued in a softer voice.

"'_Cos that's the basic rule, innit? Parents are all nice… at a distance. You want someone to listen to you, someone to get you through. You want… you know what, it's what your mates think that counts, yeah?_"

Katy noticed that Lauren was looking as though she was on the verge of tears and tried to make eye contact with her friend. The younger girl refused to look up from the table and meet her eye. Neither of the other two seemed to have noticed and they were carrying on with their argument.

"_I don't get you._" Mercy said. Before Fat Boy could answer, Lauren stood up decisively.

"_You make a very good point._" She said heading for the door. She paused as she was about to go round the corner and signalled for Katy to follow her.

"_You see, can you hear?_" Fat Boy said, almost gloatingly to Mercy as Katy stood up and followed her friend, shooting Mercy a shrug as she went. "_I make a very good point, alright?_"

"What's wrong?" Katy hissed as they got outside. Lauren shot her a wide eyed look and pulled out her mobile.

"I'm gonna phone Whit." Lauren told her firmly. "Like Fats said, it's what your mates think that matters and Whit's our mate. We need to look out for her, yeah?"

Katy sighed with relief, glad that Lauren had finally come round and was apparently as worried about their friend as she was. The Mitchell listened as Lauren left and answerphone message. She shrugged as Lauren hung out.

"You tried." She said with a weak smile. They leant against the hedge for a moment, contemplating things in silence. "I've tried calling a couple of times… she never answers."

"You got your phone on you now?" Lauren asked hopefully. "Maybe if you ring as well…?"

"Nah… I left it charging." Katy said, annoyed at herself. Lauren was about to answer, probably to call Katy a not very complimentary name, when the girls spotted Mo Harris coming out of the Vic and looking around.

"'_Ere!_" She shouted over to them. They pushed themselves off the wall and started walking slowly towards her. "_You seen lardy lad and his bird? 'Cos they left before the egg cups._" She asked.

Katy snorted with laughter, guessing immediately that she meant Fat Boy and Mercy. Mo's description of them was classic! Besides that, what was she going on about egg cups for?

"_You haven't got Ryan's number, have you?_" Lauren asked. Katy furrowed her forehead trying to work out why her friend asked that.

"_Try Janine._"

"_Course, yeah._" Lauren said with a grin. Katy was still trying to work out what was happening. "_I'll try Janine._"

The teenagers covered the entire Square looking for the woman. They went to her flat, the Minute Mart, the Vic; everywhere they could think of that Janine might be. Their last stop was the Butchers' house. Carol answered the door.

"Alright?" She asked, obviously wondering why Whitney's friends were knocking on the front door with Whitney not around.

"Hi, Mrs Jackson." Katy said politely. "We were wondering if Janine was in."

"No, she's not." Carol snapped, obviously not unhappy that this was the case.

"Oh… well I don't suppose you have Ryan's number, do you, Auntie Carol?" Lauren asked. "We're trying to get hold of Whit."

"No, sorry love, I don't."

"Do you know where Janine is?" Katy asked.

"Nope."

"_Well I've tried her flat._"

"_Try the minute mart._" Carol suggested, still not looking as though she wanted to be talking to the two teenage girls on her doorstep. "_Or the Queen Vic maybe._"

"_Yeah, cheers Carol. I'll try Whitney again. Janine can't have gone that far._"

"_Just look for the witch's broom and the black pointy hat._" Carol said and the girls started to laugh.

"Good one." Katy said with a grin. "If I didn't know better I'd think that wasn't a joke."

"It wasn't. _See ya._" Carol said with a smirk as she closed the front door.


	111. Chapter 111

_**Sorry for the mistakes in the last chapter; I must have missed them when I read though. Hopefully there will be less in this one.**_

The girls were making their way in the direction Carol had suggested as Lauren's phone began to ring. She showed the display to Katy, who grinned as her friend answered the call.

"_Whitney?_" Lauren said. Her phone kept ringing. She held it in front of her, pressing the button harder and repeating her friend's name. It still didn't connect. "_Oh what?_"

Lauren started hitting her phone until Katy pulled it out of her hands and looked at it. The ringing had stopped and it was now saying that Lauren had one missed call. Katy stabbed at the buttons beneath the screen.

"That's well and truly knackered, babe." She said, handing it back to Lauren and shrugging.

"Yeah, but what am I going to do about it!" Lauren snapped. The teenagers looked at each other and grinned. At almost the exact same moment they both said the same words.

"Fat Boy!"

They headed quickly to the café where they found him and Mercy still sitting at the same table they had left them at. Neither girl had even considered the possibility that they would have moved.

"We need you to fix Lauren's phone." Katy said quickly. Lauren shot her a look that indicated that the younger girl thought she was taking the limelight and Katy stopped talking, letting her friend take over.

"There's something wrong with it. Whit rang but it wouldn't let me answer. Can you please fix it so we can talk to her?" There was no response from the boy, who was taking small sips from his mug of tea. "_You have got to start listening!_" Lauren snapped at him.

"_I'm listening, I am listening._" Fat Boy assured her calmly.

"_He says he's listening._" Mercy defended him. Katy raised her eyebrows, unconvinced.

"_I'm sitting here with my ears open wide, listening for your vibe, pretty girl, alright. But you ain't making no sense, you get me?_"

"_Speak English!_" Lauren retorted sharply.

"_She said speak English._" Mercy echoed, earning herself a harsh glare from Katy who thought she was taking the mick.

"_I am._"

"_My phone is broken._" Lauren shouted as though she were speaking to someone either very stupid or very deaf. Katy couldn't help herself smirking at the tone of voice her best friend was using and the look that had appeared on the boy's face.

"_OK._" He said, almost defensively.

"_So I need you to fix it._"

"_OK._" Fat Boy repeated, raising his mug. Lauren pushed it down and Katy pulled it away from him, taking a gulp from it herself. The boy shot her an outraged look as Lauren continued shouting at him.

"_No now, Fat Boy, now!_"

"_Easy!_"

"_Whitney's called, yeah. Remember? My mate… our mate?_" Lauren said urgently, trying to stir him into action. "_Yeah, I think Whitney's called, right, and I'm going to up there, 'cos I need to go up there and I need to see her. But I can't call her back, so I can't get up there, so I can't get to see her until you fix my phone!_" She reinforced her words by hitting him on the chest before handing him the handset.

"_Alright… all you had to do was say, you know._" Fat Boy said, slightly nervously taking the phone out of her hand. He glanced at Katy and Mercy, who were shaking their heads at him in disbelief. "_All she had to do was say._"

The girls left the phone with Fat Boy and headed out to continue their hunt for Janine. Katy narrowed her eyes. Lauren hadn't told her anything about wanting to go up and see Whitney. All she'd said was that she wanted to talk to her; to make sure their friend was alright.

"Ummm… what now?" Katy asked as Lauren glanced up at her. "You're going to see Whit? When were you planning on telling me? Or am I not invited?"

Lauren gave her a withering look and shook her head. "Course you're invited. I just thought about going to see her now." Katy didn't believe her, but she didn't say anything. She followed Lauren out of the café, where they immediately bumped into the woman they were looking for. "_There you are. Janine?_"

The teenagers watched as Janine blanked them, walking straight past along the street. Mercy and Fat Boy joined them as they watched her walking away.

"What the hell…?" Katy said in confusion as the blonde completely ignored their shouts. She and Lauren sped up following her, leaving the other two walking at a slower pace behind them. "Oi!" She shouted as they walked through the gardens in the middle of the Square. She could tell that Janine, seeing the front door of the Butchers' clearly, thought she'd got away.

"OI!" Lauren joined in. "What's your problem?" They'd caught up with the woman and Lauren roughly grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around. Katy saw Ricky watching with concern from beside his car.

"Janine?" Katy asked, slightly more calmly than her friend. "Hello?"

"Oh… I was a million miles away." Janine said in a small, dazed voice.

"Yeah, whatever. Where's Whitney?" Katy demanded, not sure if she believed Whitney was with Ryan after all. Janine's evasiveness made her suspicious.

"_I've got dinner to do here, you know."_ Janine said, avoiding the question. "_I've got three poor little motherless children who want their chicken nuggets. If you want Whitney, I suggest that you get in touch with Whitney._"

Katy had been confused at the first couple of words but she saw straight through Janine's 'Mother Theresa' act in seconds and shook her head.

"_Yeah?_" Lauren asked, angrily. "_Thank you. That's what I'm trying to do, so if you give me Ryan's number then I can call Ryan's number. That's usually how it works._"

Janine reeled off a number as Lauren rummaged around in her bag for a pen. Katy tried to remember the digits that the woman was reeling off quickly. There was a look on Janine's face that the Mitchell really didn't like. Then again, she never really liked Janine's face; whatever look was on it. As Janine walked away with a last smirk, Mercy and Fat Boy appeared with Lauren's fixed phone.

"_You've got to listen to this, you know._" Fat Boy said seriously, holding the phone to his ear. Lauren was still staring in annoyed disbelief after Janine who'd headed quickly for the house. Katy followed her glare and saw Janine staring them out, searching for her keys. "_It's gone straight through to playing voicemail._"

"_She made that up._" Lauren said slowly, not taking her eyes off the blonde woman. "_She just made that number up._"

Katy wasn't surprised at Lauren's words; in fact she'd been thinking the same thing herself. "I don't think Whit's with Ryan…" She said reluctantly, looking at Lauren anxiously.

"_It's not Whitney, it's some bloke._" Fat Boy continued, holding out the phone. "_It's not Ryan, unless he's turned hard and had a voice transplant. He's saying it's not Whitney's phone._"


	112. Chapter 112

Lauren couldn't believe what she was hearing. She argued that it was definitely the right number and Katy agreed with her; it was the same number that she had for Whitney as well.

"_So… where's Whitney?_" Lauren asked in a tiny voice. She looked at Katy, her eyes starting to fill with tears. The Mitchell shook her head and chewed her lip, willing herself not to cry.

"We should ask her." Katy spat instead, turning to look at Janine who still hadn't managed to let herself into the house.

"_Janine. Where's Whitney?_" Lauren shouted, needing no encouragement. "_Janine! OI! I said, where's Whitney?_"

"_I don't know._" Janine said in a low voice. Max had appeared behind the girls and Ricky was standing, mouth open, watching the scene.

"What?" Katy breathed, feeling as though a massive weight had fallen on her chest. She put her hand to her mouth and leant against Lauren, who was looking equally horrified, tears definitely in her eyes now.

"_Sorry!_" Janine said, turning to go into the house as though the conversation didn't really matter. The teenagers looked at each other furiously. They strode towards her; jostling to get to the blonde first.

"You what?" Katy hissed, seeing red.

"_How can you not know where Whitney is?_" Lauren demanded. "_She ain't a bit of loose change. She ain't your spare car key. Who's the bloke on the phone, Janine?_" Janine ignored her, facing the door. "_OI! I'm talking to you._"

"_Yes, I know! And please stop, because you're making my ears bleed._"

"Answer the bleedin' questions then!" Katy shouted, taking a step towards the woman. Max put a hand on her arm, holding her back.

"Don't even think about it." Janine threatened.

"_Or you'll what?_" Lauren asked. "_What you'll make us disappear an' all, will ya?_" She grinned slightly stepping forwards. Katy shook Max's hand off her arm and moved beside her friend.

"She ain't got the guts." Katy said with a grin. "She knows exactly where Whit is, look at her!"

Janine was banging the knocker hard, waiting for the door to be opened.

"_She's been gone for two weeks. Are you actually crazy?_"

"_Stop pushing your luck._" Janine warned, not seeming very threatening when she was faced with the two livid teenage girls. Katy smirked and turned to look at Max. Before she knew what was happening, the blonde had Lauren up against the wall.

"_Pack it in, Janine!_" Carol ordered opening the door.

"_Is this supposed to be scaring me?_" Lauren asked. Katy hesitated for a moment. In her mind she saw herself up against the wall of that dingy alley; Daisy holding the knife to her throat. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. Then she stepped forwards, grabbed Janine by her hair, and pulled her off Lauren much more violently than she needed to, bashing her against the opposite wall.

"_Don't push it, alright?_" Janine told the girls. Max moved Katy aside and grabbed hold of Janine himself, pushing her away from them. "_Don't push me!_"

The girls followed Max, Janine and Carol into the front room. Katy was shaking with a mixture of anger and fear at the feelings that had come over her in that split second.

"Where is she?" Carol demanded, looking hard at Janine. There was no love lost between the two women and Katy would back Carol over Janine any day of the week. "Where is she, Janine?"

"_Oh, come on!_" Janine said with a little laugh, not taking the situation seriously, despite the five furious faces in front of her. "_She'll be fine, won't she?_"

"_She's a kid._" Max spat.

"_Well she's with her new mates!_" Janine protested. "_She's just… she's gonna be having a laugh, isn't she?_"

"_Whitney hasn't even got her phone, you mental witch!_" Lauren yelled, angrier than Katy had ever seen her.

"What is WRONG with you?" The Mitchell demanded, shaking her head in disbelief at how causal Janine was. She couldn't believe that the woman had known Whitney was missing for two weeks and done absolutely nothing about it.

"_She's a young, damaged, vulnerable girl._" Carol added, her arms crossed and her eyes flashing furiously.

"_Yeah, well we're all damaged, Carol, but you get by, you know? You survive._" Janine said. Katy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was so angry that she thought her head was going to explode with her blood boiling in her veins.

"_We should do something._" Lauren said, looking at Katy. She could see how wound up her friend was and, even though she was so worried about Whitney she hadn't forgotten about Katy's condition. Lauren knew that Katy getting too angry wouldn't be good for her and she could see that the Mitchell was about to crack.

"_Yeah, I've heard how you 'survived', Janine._" Carol shot venomously. Katy read the meaning in her words with shock. "_I've seen how you survived._"

Katy was lost in her own thoughts and didn't hear anything Janine was saying. She was suddenly picturing the worst case scenarios that Whitney could be in. She saw her lying dead in a gutter. The image made her almost scream out loud. Lauren saw the look on her face and laid a hand on her arm.

"We have to do something, Lor." Katy almost whispered as Ricky shouted at his sister furiously. "We have to find her."

"_She could be out there, with anyone!_" Ricky yelled worriedly. "_God knows… at the bottom of a ditch!_"

Max tried to calm him down while Katy wrapped her arms around herself, the image floating back into her mind. With a start she realised that Liam had entered the room and reached out her hand, which the boy took. She squeezed it reassuringly while he listened in confusion.

"_Well what was I meant to do, Ricky?_" Janine shrieked. Katy felt Liam's hand leaving hers as Max guided him out of the room. "_No! No, Carol, don't give me the whole big self-righteous thing. Alright, am I… am I the only one in Walford that hasn't gone blind? Didn't you see Whitney skanking herself round the Square? No?_"

Katy looked away, not wanting to agree but unable not to. Lauren looked drained.

"_We should try and find out where she's gone._" The teenager said quietly.

"_She was falling off the rails in front of your own eyes and you didn't even see it._" Janine shrieked, her shrill voice piercing straight through Katy's head. The teenager saw red again at these words.

"Didn't even see it? Didn't even see it?" She repeated irately. "Of course we bloody saw it! We tried, we tried so hard Janine, but you were always there… always behind her, always stopping her being herself. She wanted to impress you so much that she was 'skanking' herself. This is your fault."

"_You made out that everything was alright._" Carol agreed with the teenager.

"_I was protecting my brother, alright, all of us._" Janine said, trying to be calm. Katy had had enough, she stormed out of the room, pushing past Ricky and Max as she went and going to sit heavily on the top step outside the front door. If she heard anymore of Janine's voice she really would be guilty of murder.

When she'd got her head together, and the shouting had stopped, Katy went back into the house. Everyone had moved to the kitchen. Lauren was sitting in the chair nearest the door, with her back to it. When Katy entered the room she automatically moved over so that her best friend could share the seat with her. Katy squeezed her hand reassuringly, not feeling particularly reassured herself.

"_Ryan ain't seen Whitney for three weeks."_ Ricky was saying worriedly.

"_Well yeah, because she's probably just having a laugh with her new mates!_" Janine said defensively.

"_Oh, where? What new mates?_" Carol asked in complete disbelief.

"_Oh, I don't know, on account of not being her mother._" Janine said annoyed.

"_We should register her on the missing persons list._" Lauren suggested.

Janine sighed. "_Look, Whitney is hardly the first teenager to throw a strop and wander off, is she?_"

"_Right, well we should call the police._" Carol said firmly.

"_Throw a strop?_" Lauren said incredulously. She looked at Katy who's mouth had fallen open at the words.

"_Yes. That's what gobby little girls do, Lauren._"

Katy zoned out again thinking of anyone, anywhere, anything that might help them track down Whitney. She only just noticed Tiffany enter the room and leave again. She was only brought back into the real world when Carol pulled on her coat, getting ready to go out.

"_What, him?_" Max asked. "_You sure that's wise._"

It took Katy a couple of seconds to work out who Max was talking about. Then she felt a jolt and realised she knew exactly who they meant; Connor. Her right hand moved automatically to her stomach as she thought about him, wondering.

"_Are you sure your kit won't fall off?_" Janine added sarcastically.

"_I want her out._" Carol said as she left. There was no argument to that demand.

"Look, I better go and check in." Katy said reluctantly standing up. She gave Lauren a quick hug and moved to the door. "Let me know if you hear anything, yeah?"

After Lauren promised that she'd keep Katy informed, the teenager headed out of the house and across the Square to the flat she shared with her sister and Jack. Katy's head was spinning. She spent the next hour or so pacing the floor winding her sisters up, trying Whitney's mobile every two minutes and trying to think of something to do.


	113. Chapter 113

The next day, Katy had to go to the surgery for her midwife's appointment. She pretended to be leaving for school as normal, but she and Lauren went back to the Brannings' house instead of heading to Walford High. The pair spent the time until Katy had to leave trying to work out how they would track Whitney down.

They even phoned Peter and Lucy, who hadn't heard from her, but seemed to be having a good time at their Aunt's house. They didn't mention returning to the Square and both teenage girls were a little sad about this fact.

"Good luck." Lauren said, giving Katy a quick hug as she pulled on her jacket to leave for the appointment.

Katy smiled and opened the front door the tiniest crack. Hesitating as she saw Heather crossing the gardens, the teenager slipped out and made the short walk to the surgery as quickly and inconspicuously as she could. The last thing Katy needed was to be spotted.

She only had a short wait before her name was called and she was ushered into the small side room by a short, round woman with a chestnut coloured bob and a broad smile.

"Hello, you must be Katy?" She asked holding out her hand for Katy to shake. "I'm Anna, your midwife."

"Hi…" Katy said awkwardly, shaking the woman's hand and looking nervously around her.

"There's no need to worry, love." The woman assured her, pointing her to a chair and bustling around sorting herself out. "All I'm going to do is ask you a few questions, take a few blood smaples and give you some advice, alright?"

Katy nodded and stayed quiet as the midwife drew a few viles of blood from the teenager's arm. She winced, but managed not to scream or cry.

"We're going to need these to identify your blood group, iron levels, immunity to rubella and rhesus status, and to check for any harmful antibodies in your blood, as well as infections that may harm your baby, including hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis and the blood disorder, thalassaemia." Anna rattled off as she worked. Katy didn't have a clue what she was saying, but nodded wordlessly anyway. The teenager assumed that if it was especially important the woman would go over it again.

"Is that it?" Katy asked, pulling down the sleeve of her jumper when Anna had finished. The midwife smiled reassuringly.

"Not quite, love. We're going to need a urine sample." She smiled as Katy raised her eyebrows. "It's to test for traces of protein, which can be a sign of pre-eclampsia, and also for a urine infection called asymptomatic bacteriuria, which can increase the risk of giving birth too early."

"If you say so." Katy sighed, doing as she was told. When she returned, Anna took her blood pressure and measured her weight and height. All the while the woman chatted about this and that. Katy couldn't help smiling at how optimistic the midwife seemed to be about everything.

"Right…" Anna said finally after questioning the teenager about her medical history and talking to her about her lifestyle, diet, screening tests and ultrasound scans. Katy thought her head was going to explode with all the information that had been pumped into it in the past half hour. "You are eleven weeks pregnant."

"Alright…" Katy said with a sigh.

"Now, these are a copy of your maternity notes for you to keep at home until the next appointment." She noticed Katy looking concerned at the idea of keeping the notes at home. "You'll need them in case the worst happens and you need a doctor or to go to hospital, not that that's very likely." She explained. Reluctantly Katy nodded and took the folder out of the woman's hands. "Last but not least I'll need to see you again next Tuesday, the 22nd."

"Why?" The teenager demanded suspiciously. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all. You'll just need to have your nuchal translucency scan which will help to identify higher risks of Down syndrome in your fetus. It'll assesses the amount of fluid behind the neck of the fetus and help us to confirm the accuracy of the pregnancy dates."

"I have no idea what you're on about, but if I need it then I'll be here." Katy promised with a shrug. The woman laughed and handed her an appointment card. She'd scribbled her mobile number on it as well.

"Good. There's the details of your next appointment and my number's on there as well. If you have any queries or worries then don't hesitate to get in touch. Take care." She held the door open as Katy left, smiling after her. Almost awkwardly the teenager smiled back and gave a little wave.

Katy made the short walk back to Lauren's house and let herself in without being spotted. Lauren seemed almost more interested in what had happened than Katy herself, so the teenager told her friend everything that she'd been told at the appointment. She couldn't remember most of the medical words, but she did her best.

"Can I leave this here?" She asked, waving the maternity folder around. "I'd rather Ronnie and Roxy not find it until I've told them."

"Course." Lauren nodded and put the folder in her bedside cabinet. "I had an idea…"

They got back to discussing how to find Whitney. Katy found it difficult for a while. Since the appointment everything seemed more real and she couldn't get her head round it. But, for her friend's sake, she had to.


	114. Chapter 114

_**I've actually just written the very last chapter! I'm actually quite sad about it! Don't worry, it's gonna be a while before we get there! Please keep reading and reviewing – I love reading your comments… they mean a lot :)**_

Katy spent every free moment she had trying to get hold of Whitney. She'd just hung up after listening to the ringing sound for what felt like the hundredth time when her phone started ringing. Her immediate thought was that it was Whitney. The name on the display, however, soon set her right.

"Katy we think we know where she is. Meet us at the tube station in two minutes." Lauren ordered. Katy hung up, grabbed her jacket and shouted goodbye before her sisters could stop her. She sprinted to the station where she met Lauren and Janine and they were soon on a train, speeding towards where they would, hopefully, find Whitney.

"_If we're gonna cover all these little back roads,_" Lauren said looking down at the map she'd brought with her, "_then we need to work out some sort of strategy._" Beside her, Katy nodded in agreement but Janine, who was standing a little way away, looking unconvinced.

"_Do we?_" She asked raising her eyebrows.

"_Yes. Like, if his name's Rob, we need to check out clubs with Rob in the name._"

"_How about the 'shut up and follow me' strategy?_" Janine suggested sarcastically.

"How about the 'this is your fault so if you don't start taking this seriously I'm going to smack you' strategy." Katy snapped.

"_Or the 'let's give up, get off and go home' strategy._" Janine continued ignoring her. "_Yeah, yeah! I really like the sound of that one._"

"I'm warning you…" Katy snapped.

"_Were you always such a cow, Janine?_" Lauren asked.

"_Yes._" Janine said firmly. Then she changed tack. "_Have you even been to the Stanham Road? I mean, has Daddy even driven you down the high street? You know, with the doors locked and the windows up and all the poor people looking in, having volunteered us for this?_" She asked Lauren. "_Do you actually have any idea where we're going here?_" When Lauren didn't reply she smirked. "_Bless._"

"Oi, shut up, Janine. I grew up in a place that's just as bad if not worse, yeah. So cut it out." Katy jumped in, trying to take the pressure of her best friend. Janine smirked.

"Well yeah, you'll obviously fit in, Katy." She said with a small laugh. "I mean, you Mitchells, you're all scum anyway, aren't you?"

"What did you say?" Katy snapped.

"But you… you're something completely different. You'll probably fit in really well down there. They'll welcome you as one of their own."

Lauren had to hold onto Katy's arm to stop her physically attacking the woman. They ignored her until they got off the train and started heading out of the station.

"We should use the A-Z and plan our route out." Lauren suggested calmly. Janine rolled her eyes and made a noise in her throat. "_I'm just saying I'm trying to be logical!_" Lauren snapped as they sped around the corner towards the exits.

"_You're like a flea, buzzing in my ear._" Janine snapped in response.

"_Alright, well if you don't want to follow the A-Z, then don't follow the A-Z, I'm just saying…_"

"_You just… just shut your mouth. You're a spoilt, boring, clueless little teenager. Listen to me and you will listen to me, you need me now, OK? We're gonna forget about everything that's gone before. Forget about Christmas, all just forgotten, your little games. I don't hold grudges, Lauren. Now, your needle in a haystack school visit, you need me. Now I don't want you wandering off… 'cos I don't want you wandering off and getting mugged, do I?_"

"_It's just a normal part of London._" Lauren reasoned, interrupting Janine's rant. Katy just stared at the woman in a mixture of disbelief, amusement and confusion.

"_All this way from home… robbed, beat up… 'oh, yeah, yeah they found Whitney with all her new mates, but, ooh, did you hear about what happened to Lauren? Poor little Lauren.' So do me a favour, shut your mouth and just follow me, OK?_" Janine said. Lauren looked as though she was going to punch the woman.

"OI!" Katy snapped. "She might not be used to areas like this, but I am, so shut your face, Janine."

"Whatever, Mitchell." Janine laughed, stalking off up the ramp and expecting the teenagers to follow her.

The girls, however, exchanged a look before Lauren grabbed Katy by the hand and pulled her in the direction they'd just come. They ran away from Janine as fast as they could. They'd turned the corner, but they could still hear Janine, who'd obviously realised they'd gone almost immediately calling their names.

"Where we going then?" Katy asked as they emerged out into the night, only a dim street light above them. Lauren flipped open her A-Z and started trying to work out where they were in relation to where they wanted to go.

"According to the A-Z we're here, right." Lauren said showing Katy where they were on the map. "So we should probably head straight along here and then take the… third left?" As much as she hated to admit it, Katy agreed with Janine; and A-Z probably wouldn't help them. It was local knowledge that they needed to find Whitney.

They found themselves by a football pitch, the area fenced off by high mesh. Lauren was shaking slightly, but Katy knew how to act when she was feeling nervous or intimidated.

"_Have you seen this girl? Her name's Whitney?_" Lauren was asking a guy. He looked her up and down, barely glancing at the photo she was showing him.

"_Nah._" He said with a smirk, moving away. Lauren looked shaken and Katy pulled her away quickly.

They made their way along streets, asking anyone they met whether they recognised Whitney. Most of the men they bumped into were more interested in examining them, than the photograph and a couple of times Katy had to get feisty to get rid of them. Most of the women they asked didn't seem to want to talk to them. She was starting to think they should give up when Lauren's phone started ringing.

"It's Dad." Lauren mouthed, answering the call. Katy wondered for a moment why Ronnie and Roxy hadn't called. Then she remembered that she'd told them not to. As Lauren stood talking to Max, assuring him that she was fine, Katy thought about how little time she'd spent with her sisters recently. She'd hardly spoken to them in days. She decided that, as soon as they found Whitney, she was going to concentrate on her relationship with the two blondes.

Getting off the phone to her dad seemed to have given Lauren a new lease of energy and the two girls returned to their task with renewed enthusiasm. Katy noticed that her friend seemed much more confident now and she smiled, glad that she didn't have to worry about her as much.

"_But if you could just look! Can you just look?_" She heard the younger girl demanding of the man she had cornered. Katy received a sharp shake of the head from the woman she was showing a photo of Whitney too and wandered over to join Lauren. "_She's about this height… no, look, she's got dark hair. She could have changed it. Just look in her eyes… have you seen her?_"

"_No._" The man, a bouncer, said abruptly.

"_Whitney, her name's Whitney. Look, we think she's here, somewhere here. Look, she's my friend._" Lauren pleaded.

"Seriously, mate. It's really important, yeah." Katy said, trying to get the man to talk.

"_Look, love, I said no._"

"_Right… right, well… not likely anyway._" Lauren said as her phone started to ring. "_Thanks anyway._" She snapped sarcastically. But Katy was hardly listening; she was staring, complete astonishment on her face, at something behind the bouncer. Lauren followed her gaze, her eyes widening as she saw what her best friend was staring at. Neither of them heard Lauren's phone which was still ringing in her hand.

"Whitney?" Katy muttered, realising what she was looking at.

"_Whitney!_" Lauren shouted louder. Then they repeated her name together. Their friend stopped, hearing them. She gazed at them for a split second and they gazed back at her, before Whitney turned and walked into the club. Lauren and Katy looked at each other, bewildered.


	115. Chapter 115

_**NickyWho… there's still a while before the end! I was looking over the chapters and I've stretched it out a lot… mainly probably because I couldn't bring myself to finish it! Ta for the comment, love :)**_

"We have to go in, Lor." Katy said, almost shaking with excitement. "Whit's in there… we found her!" Lauren didn't look as happy as Katy had expected her too. In fact Lauren looked frightened. "What's wrong?"

"She completely blanked us, Katy. She saw us and she heard us but she ignored us anyway." Lauren said in a strained voice.

"Yeah… but she might be hammered. You know what Whit's like." Katy said, thinking hard to make up an excuse for their friend. Secretly she was just as upset by Whitney's reaction as Lauren, but she couldn't bring herself to think that the girl didn't want to speak to them.

"Maybe you're right." Lauren agreed, sounding completely unconvinced.

"Come on… we can't leave without talking to her, can we?" Katy reasoned, pulling Lauren by her hand into the club. The bouncer didn't even try to stop them. They made their way through the crowds of people out for a good time until they reached the bar. Whitney was fumbling around in her purse.

"_Whit?_" Lauren called out, before Katy could say anything. The teenager at the bar turned and looked at them, a mixture of surprise and annoyance on her face. She handed over the money to the barman for whatever she was buying before walking straight past the two teenage girls who'd come looking for her. Lauren and Katy exchanged a look. "_Whitney!_" Lauren demanded.

Katy tried to grab hold of her arm but Whitney shrugged her off, walking quickly away towards the doors. Lauren and Katy followed, outraged by their friend's reaction.

"Oi, Whit." Katy shouted, knowing that the girl could hear her perfectly well.

"_Whitney, wait!_" Lauren tried as they went through a door and down the stairs.

"_What d'you want?_" Whitney snapped, not turning or slowing down.

"_Are you OK?_"

"Whit… what's wrong?" Katy added, from behind.

"_Yes, I'm fine. What are you doing here?_" Whitney asked in a voice that suggested that she was far from happy to see them. Katy stared at her furiously.

"_Err… we've been looking for you? We've been looking for you everywhere._"

"Yeah, we've been so worried!" Katy chipped in.

"_We? Who's we?_" the teenager demanded.

"_Us, us and Janine._" Lauren said, as though the answer was obvious. Katy thought that maybe Whitney had been hoping to hear that her family had been looking as well. Lauren's phone was ringing again but none of the girls mentioned it.

"Ricky and Carol and everyone are ringing round everyone they can think of to find out where you are." Katy added.

"_Whatever._" Whitney said, leaving and heading along the street.

For a moment her friends hesitated, before following, calling her name over and over again until she got so annoyed she had to answer.

"_Oh, what?_" She snapped, finally turning around.

"_Why don't we go and get a cup of tea and something to eat?_" Lauren suggested.

"_D'you like kebabs, do ya?_" Whitney smirked and started turning away again.

"Come on, Whit." Katy pleaded.

"_Look, we just want to talk to you._"

"_I ain't got time._"

"Since when ain't you got time for us?" Katy demanded, grabbing Whitney's arm.

"_Just for a minute or two._" Lauren pleaded.

"_Why do you care, anyway? Why're you even here?_" Her friends looked at each other, hurt. They thought the answer to those questions was pretty obvious. "_Oh, Ricky sent you, didn't he?_"

"_No._" Lauren snapped. "_Well, yes he's worried about you. Carol is too._"

"I told you they were." Katy added almost sulkily.

"_Worried about me? Well that's weird, 'cos they weren't worried last time, were they? In fact, they were embarrassed by me._"

"_Oh, just stop. Can you just stop?_" Lauren spat.

"Bloody hell, Whit." Katy said at the same moment, shaking her head in annoyed disbelief.

"_Can't we just go somewhere and talk?_" Lauren added, trying to stay calm.

"_No, I just told you I ain't got time."_

"_Why… where have you gotta go?_" Lauren asked, looking sideways in confusion. Katy returned the look.

"_Home."_ The way Whitney said it, with a causal shrug, implied that it was the most obvious answer in the world. Her friends exchanged another look.

"What are you on about?" Katy asked.

"_Where's home?_"

"_It's along here… how did you find me?_"

Katy and Lauren exchanged a worried glance. They were reluctant to get Whitney's little sister into trouble, but it had to be said.

"_Tiff._" Lauren said with a sigh. "_She remembered you talking about some club… some club that bloke owned. She had it all written down in her little diary. She really misses you, Whitney._" Lauren broke off and looked at Katy. "_We all do._"

"Please Whit… we need you to come home."

"_Alright… well… I've talked to you now, ain't I? Don't lie to me, OK, 'cos none of them miss me. Yeah maybe, maybe Tiff does, but none of the rest of them do. D'you know what? Maybe things would be different if Bianca was around, but she's not, alright. So I'm really sorry, you've had a wasted journey._"

"How do you know they don't miss you? Have you spoken to them?" Katy demanded. Whitney gave her a guilty look, a small shrug and looked at the ground not saying anything. "I didn't think so."

"_Right, so what am I meant to tell 'em?_" Lauren snapped again.

"_Tell 'em the truth; that I'm fine. Everything's fine and just butt out._" Whitney turned and started striding away. Lauren and Katy followed her, unwilling to give up.

"_Yeah, but are you fine? Is there really nothing to worry about?_"

"_Oh my God, yes! How many times do I have to tell you, Lauren?_"

"A couple less times than you have to tell me before I'll believe you." Katy told her seriously.

"Katy… just… leave it, yeah."

"No! We want to know what's going on."

"Nothing!" Whitney said in exasperation. "Everything's fine."

"_Right well, where are you living?_" Lauren asked, trying to find out something useful.

"_I just told you, it's along here._"

"_Nice is it?_" She asked as though she didn't even need to hear the answer to know what the truth was. From the rest of the area it was bound to be a dump.

"_Yeah, it's great actually. I got my own place, no one hassling me._"

"_What? You're there on your own?_" Lauren asked, slightly confused. Katy doubted that that was the case. On her own, Whitney wouldn't have lasted two minutes. That was what was worrying the teenager the most; that Whitney wasn't living alone.

"_Yeah, kind of. Well, Rob virtually lives there an' all, but…_"

"_So are you and Rob an item?_"

"_Yeah, course we are._" Whitney said indignantly. Katy remembered back to the guy she'd met in the Vic and shuddered slightly. He didn't seem the kind of guy that would get himself involved with someone like Whitney. Not in the way she was imagining anyway. Suddenly Katy felt very uneasy.

"_And you're getting on OK?_" Lauren asked, obviously not getting the same vibe off that realisation as Katy was. Then again, Katy had much more experience of guys like Rob than her friend did.

"_No, I'm not getting on OK, Lauren, I'm getting on great. Great. We're in love._" Now Katy felt really worried. Lauren seemed to realise too that something odd was going on. She snorted with laughter. Katy didn't, knowing that it would only make Whitney defensive.

"_Love?_" Lauren said sarcastically, not understanding the warning look Katy was sending her.

"_Yeah, love, Lauren. Oh sorry, you wouldn't know what that is, would you? No._" Whitney said venomously. Katy shook her head, knowing that something like this would happen. _"I mean… we have a right laugh, a great time. Look at this, look; real silver._" She held out the necklace she was wearing for the two girls too look at. They looked at it, almost with disgust. It looked really cheap and probably came from a market stall somewhere; there was no way on earth that it was real silver. "_He bought me that; he's buying me things all the time._"

"He's buying you." Katy said. "Whit, listen to me."

"No! He's not! _We have a laugh, a great time._" Whitney seemed desperate to cling onto the idea that she and Rob were in love. Katy wasn't even sure if her friend totally believed it herself. Maybe she just wanted it to be true. She shook her head and shrugged at Lauren, who looked equally concerned.

"_Right, so… what are you doing then? Have you got a job?_"

"_No!_" Whitney laughed as though the idea was ridiculous. "_What am I gonna do?_" Katy had several suggestions, but she kept them to herself.

"_So… what are you doing for money?_"

"_Rob looks after me._"

"What?" Both the girls were confused.

"_He gives you money?_"

"_Yeah… food, booze, rent._"

"All the necessities then." Katy muttered under her breath. Whitney ignored her.

"_Whatever I want, OK, he worships me._" Whitney turned into a house and the two girls stopped outside, looking up at it. It was indeed a dump.

"_Is this it?_" Lauren asked screwing up her nose.

"_Yeah, bye._" Whitney said, closing the gate and going up the steps.


	116. Chapter 116

Katy and Lauren looked at each other, desperately. They'd come this far, they couldn't lose Whitney now.

"_Can we come in?_" Lauren asked, almost pleadingly. She looked really lost.

"Yeah, please. I'm dying for a wee." Katy added, hopping up and down slightly.

"_No, I've got a lot on._" The girl said, frowning slightly at them. She came over and leant on the gate, blocking their way firmly.

"_Listen, Whitney, we're your mates._" Lauren told her in disbelief.

"_Since when?_"

"_Since always. Look I feel really bad about what happened; me throwing you out. I just came to see if you're OK._"

"And so did I." Katy chipped in. "Remember, it was me that tried to convince Lauren it wasn't your fault, not really. It was me that tried to see if you were OK. Just let us in, yeah, and we can work this out properly."

"_Yeah and I've told you now._" Whitney said with a shrug. "I'm fine and we don't need to work anything out."

"_Yeah, but you don't seem it. You seem… weird. I mean this dump…_"

"_It's not a dump, Lauren, it's fine._"

"_Then why won't you let us see inside it? I mean, what have you got to hide?_"

"Yeah… there's obviously something you don't want us to see." Katy knew that Whitney could never resist a challenge like that. If you told her she couldn't do something, or wasn't up to something the teenager would immediately be hell-bent on proving you wrong. She'd now be desperate to prove that there was nothing to hide from the girls.

"_Alright, fine. You can come in, OK? But one look, then you have to go._" The teenagers shared a look of triumph as they followed Whitney into the house. "_I know it don't look much, but the flat's alright._" She assured them as they entered the communal hallway. Neither Katy nor Lauren was convinced by her words.

"_Well, go on then._" Lauren said with a sigh as Whitney stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, we're waiting to see this flat of yours."

"_No, I just told you I'm busy._"

"_Just show us, or I'll get Ricky and the whole crew round._" Lauren threatened. Katy grinned.

"Just imagine what Carol would say about this place. She'd have it disinfected before you could stop her." She said raising her eyebrows.

"That's if they don't drag you out of here first."

"You'd never be able to stop them visiting."

"_Alright, fine._" Whitney agreed defeated.

They followed her upstairs. Katy could see that Lauren was reluctant to touch the bannisters, a sentiment that the older girl echoed. They went into Number 6. It was small and dingy and there was an odd smell; probably mould. Katy wrinkled her nose looking around. The three of them barely fitted in. Katy had to squash herself into Lauren as Whitney pushed the door closed.

"_There… alright? No mystery, is there? It's just a… a bedsit. Simple._"

"_Where's Rob?_"

"_He's out… he's busy._"

"_So he looks after you?_"

"_Yeah, he gives me whatever I want._"

"_And what do you do for him?_"

"_Nothing._" Whitney looked outraged by Lauren's question. "_We're in love, Lauren, you know; we're soul mates. Why's that so hard for you to understand?_"

"_Why are you so bothered about him being here then?_"

"_Because I don't want you blowing it for me, alright? We have a great time, the best time. He looks after me, I look after him._"

"_How?_" Lauren asked simply, voicing Katy's question.

"_Dunno… this and that. If he gets in schtuck I help him out._"

"_I don't understand._" Lauren said with a shrug. Katy thought she was starting to.

"_With his debts, you know, his mates. A couple of times… he's got in a mess and I've done… favours for him._"

"_What kind of favours?_" Lauren asked the question Katy didn't need to hear answered. She knew exactly what kind of favours Whitney had been doing… the kind Nathan had tried to get her to do.

"_With his mates… help 'em out, make 'em happy. Keep 'em off his back._" Whitney was shaking as she spoke. She could hardly get the cigarette in her hand into her mouth. Katy was shocked at the sight, but Lauren was outraged.

"_What's that mean?_" She asked, ignoring the cigarette for the moment, more focused on what Whitney had said. Katy sat on the edge of the bed, which felt as though it could give way at any moment, and put her head in her hands.

"_Rob pays for all this, right? He does look after me… and he's really generous and sometimes he gets in a jam. He owes and I help him out._"

"_With his mates?_"

"_I don't mind, it's nothing. I don't mind at all._" She said, lighting the cigarette and taking a puff.

"_Whit, are you saying what I think you're saying?_" Lauren asked. "_What you… you and these blokes?_"

"Course she is." Katy spat from the bed. She didn't look up; she didn't want to meet her friend's eyes. "Can you put that out, Whit?"

"_YES!_" Whitney shouted, ignoring the request to stop smoking. "_How many times do I have to tell you? He looks after me, I look after him._ She gets it!" She jabbed a finger towards Katy.

"I don't get it at all, Whit. I know what you're talking about, but I don't get why you're doing it. You're so stupid."

"No, _that's what love is._" Whitney spat looking between them. Katy shook her head.

"_What, this? This is what love is, yeah?_" Lauren was incensed. "_This is what you think it is?_"

"_Yeah, it is. And he loves me, alright?_"

"He doesn't love you." Katy said with a cynical laugh. "This ain't love… this is abuse."

"She's right. _He loves you? Like Tony loved you?_"

Whitney looked as though she was about to punch Lauren. Katy stood up, standing beside Lauren in support. "_I think you'd better go._"

"_We're not going anywhere._"

"_No, go on, get out, 'cos I don't even want you here._"

"_Well come with us then. Come home!_"

"_Are you joking? Look, I got it made here._" Whitney said. Katy snorted with laughter shaking her head.

"_Got it made? Look around you, Whitney._"

"_Yeah, alright. It's nothing to do with you._"

"It's got everything to do with us, Whit." Katy said.

"Why?"

"_You're our mate._"

"_No I ain't. I ain't got any mates, alright? I've got no mates I can trust. The only person I can trust is Rob and do you know why? 'Cos he cares about me. He cares about me, unlike you and Ricky; none of 'em._"

"_That's not true._" Lauren said softly, shaking her head.

"_Yes it is. Now go._"

"_Well I'll have to tell 'em. I'll have to tell 'em where you are; they're gonna come looking for you._"

"_Yeah, go on then. Go on then, you run back, you tell 'em, yeah? Run back, tell 'em and then I'll just move. I'll move far away._"

"_They're your family._" Lauren said in a voice of complete disbelief.

"_No. I ain't got any family. The only family I've got now is Rob._" Her mobile began to ring. She glanced at the display. "_That's him._"

While she spoke on the phone, Lauren and Katy had a quick, silent conversation; exchanging looks and trying to decide what to do. Katy was sure that Whitney was too deep to take any notice of whatever they said to her. She'd been brainwashed and was far too dependent on Rob to believe anything bad about him.

"_Yeah, I'm on my own._" Whitney lied. Behind the three girls, the flat door opened with a creak and the guy Katy had seen with her friend in the pub stood in the doorway.

"_Don't look like it._" Rob said in a low, threatening voice. For a split second Whitney looked terrified, but then Rob smiled and she relaxed. Katy and Lauren exchanged wary glances.


	117. Chapter 117

"_You really had me there._" Whitney said with a relieved smile.

"_Who's your mates?_" he asked, fixing the two girls with a hard stare. When Whitney looked away he narrowed his eyes.

"_We got talking when I was getting your fags. Sorry, I nicked one, I hope you don't mind._" Whitney said hurriedly.

"_I told ya, I don't like you smoking._" He said. Katy watched him nervously for a sign that he recognised her from the Vic but there wasn't even the smallest flicker. "_You've got beautiful skin, don't ruin it._"

"_So what's your names?_" He asked, trying to act all nice. Katy wasn't fooled for a second.

"_Lauren._" The younger girl wasn't taken in either. "This is Katy."

"_D'you want a cig?_" he offered the pack. Neither girl accepted.

"_I don't smoke._" Lauren said.

"_Wise girl, you could learn something from her._" Whitney smiled, but looked annoyed when Rob's attention turned back to the other two. "_So, what you doing round here then?_"

"_We're mates of Whitney's, from Albert Square._" Lauren said. Rob and Whitney looked at each other; the nervous look had returned to the girl's face. "_We came to see if she was OK._"

"_Oh… that's nice._" He didn't seem to think it was nice at all. Katy didn't like the look he was giving them at all.

"_Yeah, yeah… that's what I meant. She came to visit me._" Whitney said quickly now that she'd been caught out. Katy was worried about what Rob would do now he'd realised who they were. He looked at Katy more closely and the recognition appeared on his face.

"We met before, right?" He asked stepping towards her.

"I guess." Katy shrugged.

"_Well, coming to visit, that's really nice of ya, innit?_" He looked down at Whitney, threateningly. The look made her friends incredibly uncomfortable. "_We don't get many visitors. You staying long?_"

He seemed to be trying to keep up the 'nice' pretence. It wasn't working, neither girl was taken in by it.

"_We were just going._" Lauren answered for the pair of them.

"_What's the rush?_" Rob asked. Whitney looked annoyed at his words. She looked even angrier as he continued. "_Stick around, we're going out tonight; it'll be a right laugh; drinks, party, come with us if you want._"

This invitation threw Katy and Lauren. They looked at Whitney, who seemed to be wishing it hadn't been made.

"_I can't._" Lauren said, answering for both of them. "_I've got to get back._"

"_Mum and Dad?_" Rob asked her, a look that Katy didn't like in his eyes.

"_Dad, I promised him. If I don't get back he'll just come here._" Lauren elaborated, almost as though she was trying to threaten Rob. He turned his attention to Katy, something which Whitney noticed.

"Katy's got no parents." Whitney said, almost spitefully, even though she was practically in the same position.

"Yeah… well… I live with my sister and her husband." She replied defensively.

"Not that they've got much time for you." Whitney continued. Katy eyes flashed furiously as she tried to work out why her friend was being so horrible. She didn't notice the interested look that flashed fleetingly through his eyes.

"_I'll give you a lift home if you like?_" Rob offered the girls. Whitney looked horrified at the prospect.

"_No, it's alright. They can get back on their own. You can get back on your own, can't you?_"

"_No, it's not a problem. What? 20, 30 minutes? I'll get Kenny to bring the Merc._" He said. The two girls immediately felt uneasy about this offer and made their excuses, saying they were meeting a friend.

"_You gonna come?_" Lauren asked Whitney.

"_She can't._" Rob answered for her. For a split second, Whitney looked as though she wished she could, but soon got her expression under control. "_Busy, aren't ya._"

"_Yeah, yeah…_" she agreed, unenthusiastically.

"_Oh, well, umm… if you change your mind, we'll be in that caff, the Sunbeam?_" Lauren told her. "_With our mate, my brother. If you wanna come along, we'll be there._"

Both girls shot Whitney meaningful looks and, for a split second they thought that maybe, just maybe they'd got through to her. But then Rob offered to see them out, an offer which they politely declined, and left.

As they headed quickly down the stairs, they heard the flat door slam. Uneasily they exchanged a look and, once they were safely outside in the cold night air they stopped and assessed the situation.

"Why were you so quiet in there?" Lauren demanded annoyed. "I expected you to help me convince her to come home."

"I couldn't get a word in, could I?" Katy snapped. "Who rang you earlier, anyway?"

Lauren pulled out her mobile and checked her missed calls. "Janine."

"Ring her back!" Katy ordered, rubbing her arms to try and keep warm. She shot several anxious looks up at the window of Whitney's 'flat' while Lauren waited for the woman to answer.

Lauren tried to explain to Janine, but the woman obviously wasn't listening so the teenager arranged to meet her at the café. While Lauren was still on the phone, a silver car drew up behind them and a man got out. He looked them up and down, pulling out his wallet. Katy shot him a disgusted look and pulled Lauren along the road.

"We're gonna have to be really careful, Lor." She said with a sigh. "Whit's proper brainwashed, he's made her dependant on him; she won't take kindly to hearing us insult him, yeah?"

"You're telling me." Lauren said sulkily. "What are we gonna do?"

"I dunno… we're gonna have to be clever and patient."

Lauren sighed and they walked in silence until they reached the café and went in. Janine wasn't there yet, so they found a table got a couple of mugs of tea and sat down. They hadn't waited long before Janine arrived, looking as though such a place was beneath her.

"_Well? Where is she?_" She asked before she'd even sat down.

"_Sit down._"

"_I don't want to sit down._" Janine snapped. "_I want to get Whitney and I want to go home._"

"_Well it's not that simple._"

"Just sit down and listen." Katy instructed her firmly, pushing out a seat for the woman to sit on. Janine sighed and took it, picking up Katy's mug and taking a long gulp.

"_I think she's really in trouble._" Lauren said seriously.

Janine ignored her, pulled a face and put down the mug. "_Eurgh! That's disgusting._"

"Are you listening?" Katy demanded, moving the mug away and turning to her feistily.

"_She's holed up in some bedsit. She's with that Rob bloke._" Lauren explained, ignoring the interruptions. "_He's got her under the thumb."_

"_What d'you mean by that exactly?_"

"_I think… I think she's sleeping with other blokes._" Lauren said tactfully.

"He's pimping her out." Katy said bluntly.

Janine looked between them, horrified. "_What?_"

"_With his mates._"

"_Has she told you that?_"

"As good as… she said she's doing favours for him, with his mates." Katy said quietly. "To get him out of his debts."

"_He's using her, just like Tony was. It's the same. The way he looked at me… was the same as Tony did._" Lauren told her. "When he heard that Katy had no parents and lived with her sister, but that she was really busy most of the time and didn't pay much attention to Katy…"

"Which is a complete lie." Katy cut in defending her sisters.

"…the look in his eyes…" Lauren continued with a shudder.

"_Are you sure?_"

"_Yes! No what do we do? Do we call the police?_"

"_No!_" Janine told her quickly. "_No, you don't want to do that._"

"_Well, maybe we should?_"

"No," Katy agreed with Janine, "calling the police is the last thing we want to do right now."

"But…?" Lauren obviously couldn't see why calling the police was such a bad idea. Katy and Janine exchanged a look, trying to decide how best to proceed.

"_Well, is she being held against her own will? No. OK, I'll talk to her. I'll offer to take her home, put her up with me._" Katy didn't think that idea would work and shook her head. Lauren was equally unconvinced by the plan.

"_And you think she'll want that?_" Lauren asked.

"She's right… after what you did to her…" Katy agreed.

"_Listen, you're not her only friends, me and her got close._"

"_Really?_" Both girls were sceptical of that announcement.

"_Yes, really._" Janine said harshly. "_What's the address?_"

"_We'll come with you._"

"_No, you won't, you'll stay here. I won't be long._" She stood up and started to walk away. "Maybe you should call home… let them know what's happening; that you're both OK."


	118. Chapter 118

As Janine left, both girls decided to take their advice. Lauren pulled out her mobile to phone her Dad. Katy was desperate for the toilet again, so she went, leaving Lauren alone to make the call.

Lauren was sitting, waiting for Katy to come back. She'd text her Dad, telling him that she was fine and still with Janine and was occupying herself by pulling faces at a younger girl opposite her.

"_Remember me?_" A voice said suddenly in her ear. Rob had slid into the seat beside her. "Where's your mate? _Where's your brother?_"

"Katy's in the toilets, she'll be back in a second. _My brother's gone to get some cigarettes._" Lauren said, nervously.

"_They sell 'em here._" He indicated the machine behind her before he pulled out his own packet, holding them out. "_D'you want one?_"

"_No, you're all right._" She refused, looking at the toilet door and willing Katy to walk through it. The man from behind the counter brought over a can and handed it to Rob, telling him to go outside to smoke. Rob ignored him.

"_Lauren, yeah?_"

"_Yeah._"

"_Listen, I really think you should come along with me and Whit tonight. We'll have a laugh; some nice blokes, lovely pad, one of them massive houses, get you back by twelve._" He suggested.

"_No, I can't, we've got to meet my brother._" Lauren told him firmly.

"_Oh, yeah, your brother. You know what? I don't think he's coming._" Rob said with a grin.

"_I've gotta go._" Lauren said anxiously, deciding to go and find Katy in the toilets. She reached out for her bag, but Rob put his hand on hers, stopping her.

"_Hey! Why're you so fidgety?_" He asked caressing her fingers. Lauren froze. "_Listen, I've got this mate; he's just split up with his missus. He's a lovely fella. I think you and him would get on like a house on fire. You know you're beautiful, don't ya? You're something special, you, girl._"

"_Really?_" Lauren asked angrily grabbing her bag and standing up. "_Am I as special as Whitney?_"

"_Hey, where you going? Sit down._" He ordered, grabbing her arm tightly and pulling her back down into the seat. Lauren winced at his grasp, which was digging into her arm.

"_Get off, you're hurting me._"

"_Now you listen to me. You stay out of my business, you stay away from Whit. I get any trouble from you, your old man, the police, anyone, so much as a sniff… I'll be coming round your house and paying you a visit. You get me?_" He hissed menacingly. Lauren swallowed nervously.

"_Yeah…_" She muttered, scared.

"_Good. Look at me._" Reluctantly Lauren met his eyes. "_If I see you around these parts again, you know what's gonna happen._"

She nodded and looked down as he stood up and walked off. She pulled out her mobile to text Janine, wanting to find out where she was and what was happening.

"Come on, Katy." She muttered, willing the girl to hurry up.

x

Katy had just washed her hands and was leaning against the wall, texting Ronnie to let her know what was happening. The door banged open behind her and Katy didn't look up, assuming it was just some drunk needing the toilet. It was only when she heard a male voice that she looked.

"Alright, Katy, isn't it?" Rob asked. He was standing between the girl and the door, blocking her exit.

"Yeah… what are you doing?" She asked more annoyed than worried about his presence. "I think you'll find the male toilets are next door."

He grinned and stepped towards her. "You've got an attitude on you, alright." Katy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Listen… me and Whitney were talking and she wants you to come to this party with us, tonight. Lauren's not up for it; she's got to meet her brother. But you should come, yeah? It'll be great; lovely house, nice blokes, drinking, fun."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Katy told him raising her eyebrows. "I've gotta get home."

"Whit said they don't have much time for you… I mean, your sisters must be busy, right? They have their own lives?" Rob said. He put a hand on her arm. "You should come and have some fun, a gorgeous girl like you." As he spoke, his hand ran up her arm and onto her cheek. Katy stepped backwards away from him.

"Thanks, but no thanks." She repeated as her phone beeped. "That'll be my sister now, wondering when I'll be back."

"I'll give you a lift." Rob persisted. "I reckon one of my mates, Nick, would be just your type and you're definitely his. He'd definitely be very interested in you. In fact I can think of a few of my mates who'd love to meet you."

"Seriously, I said no, alright? Just get out of my face." Katy snapped, trying to push past him. With one fluid movement Katy was up against the back of the door, one of Rob's hands on her neck and the other on her thigh. "Get off me!"

"You've got a choice, yeah? Come with us to this party or stay away from Whitney. I've warned Lauren… any sniff of anyone coming looking for her and there'll be trouble." His face was an inch from hers and Katy turned her head slightly so that she couldn't feel his breath on her mouth. He laughed and moved even closer so that his lips brushed against hers as he spoke. "Yeah, you're just Nick's type… cheap and easy."

He pulled the door open, sending Katy flying forwards into the sinks. She put a hand to her stomach automatically, tears springing to her eyes.

"Yeah… well that's what you think." She spat. "He wouldn't stand a chance."

Rob laughed and looked back at her. "Just stay away, or you'll regret it."


	119. Chapter 119

_**Everyone reading this please comment and let me know what you think! I love reading your opinions and thoughts! :)**_

After comparing stories, Katy and Lauren were incredibly jumpy. They hadn't heard from Janine and were incredibly worried about her and Whitney. Outside, they stood and waited for the woman to come back. At last they saw her, looking more rattled than they'd ever seen her.

"Janine?" Katy said softly, sensing that something was wrong.

"_Where is she?_" Lauren asked. "_Janine?_"

"_Can you give me your phone?_"

"_Yeah, yeah, why? Are you OK? What did he do to you?_" Lauren handed over her mobile worriedly.

"_Nothing. I'm alright, just give me your phone._" Janine said weakly. Katy looked at her with her head tilted to one side.

"Really?" Katy asked. "What happened?"

"_What are you going to do?_" Lauren asked worried.

"_Call the police._"

"_And say what?_"

"You can't Janine!" Katy reasoned. "They won't listen."

"_Have you got a better suggestion?_" Janine demanded.

"_Yeah… we can go get Ricky, my Dad, a few other blokes to come back. Maybe Phil Mitchell?_"

"Yeah, I can get Phil to come and help." Katy said quickly. "And Jack."

"_I just don't know if there's enough time to go home, get everybody and come back._" Janine reasoned.

"_OK, so what are we gonna do then?_" Lauren asked.

"Surely we can ring them, get them to come down." Katy suggested. "I mean, they've got cars, yeah? It won't take them as long to get there as it did us."

"I dunno!" Janine said, putting her hand to her forehead. "I just don't know!"

"Let's phone her." Katy said. "Just one more time… we can try and get her to see sense. We can go and get her."

"Alright, it's worth a try." Janine nodded. "Lauren…" the teenager handed over her mobile and Janine dialled. As they waited for Whitney to answer, they started towards the flat. "_Whitney, it's me._" She said hurriedly. "_We're coming to get you._" Janine stopped abruptly and the two teenage girls crowded round the phone, trying to hear what Whitney was saying. "_We just… walk out now, OK, and we'll meet you. Whitney… Don't go! Whitney!_"

Janine looked at the mobile. The teenager had hung up. She turned quickly to Lauren and Katy, a scared look on her face.

"We've got to get over there… now!" She said urgently. The three of them started running towards the flat. They rounded a corner and saw the teenager standing beside a car, Rob next to her.

"_Whitney!_" Lauren shouted. Whitney's face was terrified. When she clapped eyes on her three friends, she smiled slightly, looking relieved. Katy and Lauren started forwards but Janine, noticing the look on Rob's face held them back, looking imploringly at Whitney.

"_Are you coming, or what?_" He asked threateningly.

The teenagers and Janine looked pleadingly at the girl, silently begging her not to get in the car. She looked as though it was the last thing she wanted to do. She shot them a look as she got in the back seat. The girls ran to the car door, Rob grinning at them and Whitney stared out at them hopelessly.

They put their hands on the glass as Rob locked the doors from the front. Whitney looked terrified. Katy banged on the glass, shouting for Rob to open the door. The car sped off, leaving Lauren, Janine and Katy looking after it in horror.

"_Whitney!_" the teenagers shouted together, running after the car which had kicked up a cloud of dust and was screeching away. As it headed round the corner, they knew they couldn't keep up and dropped back, standing on the corner staring after the car. Whitney was looking at them out of the back window.

"Shit." Katy said. It was the only thing she could think of to sum up that moment. Lauren and Janine said nothing.


	120. Chapter 120

"What are we gonna do?" Katy demanded standing on the street corner her hands on her head and her eyes fixed on the space where the car had been. Beside her, Lauren was frozen with a mixture of horror and fury.

"There's nothing we can do." Janine told them in a quiet but firm voice. She put an arm around each of the teenagers, much more tenderly than either of them would ever have guessed she was capable of, and guided them away down the road. Neither teenager had the energy or inclination to fight her off. "Nothing we can do tonight anyway. We just need to get back to the Square and work things out tomorrow when we've had some sleep."

Katy was unable to keep the events of the evening hidden from her sisters and told them everything immediately. They were suitable shocked and, more than anything, horrified that Katy had put herself in such a difficult and dangerous position. As well as the usual questions and being concerned about Whitney's welfare, Ronnie and Roxy were furious with their sister.

"Chill out!" Katy snapped turning the television on in the middle of their conversation. "It's not like I grew up in a palace, is it? I grew up on a tough estate; I've seen this a million times… for God's sake it nearly happened to me. I think I can handle myself, alright?"

"When did it nearly happen to you?" Ronnie demanded, standing between her sister and the television. Katy hesitated for a moment, looking shifty.

"When I went… you know." Katy said with a shrug. Both her sisters sighed deeply. Roxy was sitting next to Katy on the sofa, holding her hand tightly. Ronnie had moved to perch on the arm of the sofa beside the teenager.

"When you were… when he threatened you…" Ronnie said, trying to question her sister about her run in with Rob in the café. "He didn't… did he…"

"Did he what, Ron?"

"Did he try anything?" Roxy said, phrasing the question that her older sister couldn't bring herself to do. Katy thought about it for a split second. On the one hand she didn't want to upset or worry her sisters; on the other hand more lies were the opposite of what she needed between them.

"He told me that he and Whit wanted me to go to this party with them. Obviously I said no, that you were expecting me back, because I had a good idea what kind of party it was gonna be…" She shot her sister's a look, which made them understand her words, with disgusted looks. "But he said that I was gorgeous and should go and have fun. He said that you obviously didn't have enough time for me because you have your own lives."

"That's rubbish, babe." Roxy said furiously. Ronnie looked too outraged to speak.

"I know, I know." Katy assured them. "But he was just trying to get me to go. He even offered me a lift home. Then… then he said that his mates would be very interested in me. So I told him to get lost and he pushed me up against the back of the door. He was right in my face… like actually touching me and his hands were here," she showed her sisters where Rob had held her against the door, "and he said I was cheap and easy."

"Then?" Ronnie could hardly speak.

"Then he pushed me into the sink and I nearly started crying 'cos I thought…" She stopped herself abruptly consciously preventing her hand from resting on her expanding stomach.

"You thought what?" Roxy asked, narrowing her eyes. She'd thought she'd seen the teenager's hand twitch involuntarily, but couldn't be sure. Katy shook her head.

"I thought he was gonna do something worse." She said hesitantly.

"But he didn't?" The older of her sisters tried to establish.

"No." Katy said firmly shaking her head looking Ronnie straight in the eyes. Visibly both her sisters sighed with relief.

"Go and get some sleep." Ronnie ordered. "You need your rest… being exhausted and emotional isn't going to help you find Whit, is it?"

Katy knew her sister was talking sense and nodded. She gave each of her sisters a tight, meaningful hug; breathing in their very different, but equally comforting perfumes. She felt like a little kid again, safe and protected by these strong, passionate, loyal women; Amy and James had a lot to be thankful for.

x

The next morning Katy crept to the bathroom before Ronnie and Jack were awake. Anna, her midwife, had told her that the morning sickness should stop soon and the teenager couldn't wait; it made her feel awful.

"Katy?" Ronnie said worriedly, knocking on the door. "Katy, are you OK?"

"Yeah… I'm fine." The teenager said brightly.

"Why are you throwing up then?" Ronnie asked. Katy could picture the raised eyebrow and unconvinced expression easily.

"I'm not." She lied.

"Umm… excuse me, but I think I recognise the sound of throwing up."

"Alright, alright." Katy unlocked the bathroom door. "It must be something I ate… or maybe worry."

"Are you serious?" Ronnie asked.

"Yeah…"

The blonde still didn't look convinced with her sister's explanation, but she didn't comment and let the teenager escape back to her bedroom without pressing the matter. Back in her own privacy, Katy went to the window and looked out across the blank area at the back of the building, leaning her head against the cold glass. Ronnie wasn't stupid; she'd soon put together all the strange things Katy had said or done and work out the truth. Now she'd be looking out for anything unusual as well.

It was time to tell her sisters the truth, sooner rather than later. Otherwise someone else would tell them first. That, or they'd work it out for themselves. She wasn't sure which would be worse. Either way they'd be gutted that she hadn't told them herself.

She was dreading their reactions… she couldn't even imagine what they would say. Ronnie had such high hopes for her and Roxy… well, Roxy thought that she, Katy, was so much cleverer than the rest of the Mitchells put together. They had automatically assumed that she'd make something more of herself than living on the Square – although she'd told them over and over again that living on the Square was all she wanted to do.

Then again they were still her sisters. They couldn't react too badly to the news, could they?


	121. Chapter 121

The majority of the weekend had been taken up by the teenage girls worrying about Whitney. They'd tried her phone non-stop since Friday night when they'd seen her, but it was just going straight to answerphone. Both girls had Rob's threats ringing in their ears, but they didn't care. All they wanted was for Whitney to come home safely.

On Sunday morning, Lauren gave Katy and ring and they went over to Janine's flat to discuss the situation they'd found themselves in further. The teenagers were determined to tell their friend's family what was going on – the whole truth about what they'd seen and heard at the flat – but Janine was adamant that they shouldn't tell them.

"Everyone else thinks she's fine, Janine. Lauren said Max reckons she's just sleeping on a mate's floor and having the time of her life." Katy snapped at the older woman with her hands on her hips. "That's what everyone's going to think if we don't tell them. How can we get them to take it seriously if they don't know the truth?"

"_We've gotta find her._" Lauren said.

"_Well it's not that simple._" Janine replied quietly. She wasn't looking at either of the teenagers. Instead she was staring straight ahead with her head resting on her hand.

"_You saw her in that car._"

"_It wasn't that bad._"

"_How can you say that?_" Lauren demanded.

"Seriously, Janine, are you actually kidding? She looked terrified." Katy agreed, wondering what car the woman had been watching to form that opinion.

"_We've got to do something… call the police._" Lauren suggested.

"_They won't do anything._"

"_Right, well… tell somebody else, tell Ricky?_"

"_Ricky can't ever find out._" Janine ordered, her voice growing louder in her urgency to keep the secret from her older brother.

"_She's being forced to sleep with guys she doesn't even know and she can't even see that that's what's happening._" Lauren reasoned.

"We can't keep that hidden from everyone else, Janine… when Whit comes back she's going to need her family to know so that they can support her, right?"

"_D'you really think that she really needs the shame of Ricky and Bianca knowing?_" Janine asked the girls furiously.

"_But they love her._" Lauren said. At that moment Katy saw just how idealistic her best friend was. In her mind, as long as there was love between a family everything would work out fine. Even with her past and all the problems between Max and Tanya, Lauren still believed that. Katy smiled slightly, thinking how sweet that was; how amazing it was that Lauren still had that faith.

"_And I want to keep it that way._" Janine's harsh words cut abruptly through Katy's thoughts. "_Ricky's her dad, or as good as. And if he found out what she was doing…_"

"_Yeah but it ain't her fault!_" Lauren burst out.

"Course it ain't." Katy agreed.

Janine exhaled visibly. "_Fine, well, if he found out what was happening to her then just trust me… he'll never look at her the same way again. Disappointment and… just disgust._"

Katy realised that Janine was thinking about her own past; her own experiences. Despite everything, the teenager found herself feeling sorry for the woman. She obviously did really care about Whitney and her brother and she was definitely blaming herself for the missing girl's situation. On the other hand, that wasn't Whitney's fault.

"_I ain't going to leave her there just 'cos Ricky can't deal with it._" Lauren told her, summing up Katy's opinion perfectly.

"We gotta do summit… come on Lor. If you won't do anything, Janine, we'll have to do it on our own." Katy said, handing her friend her bag off the table and heading for the door. Janine stopped them before they even got to it.

"_Just give me until the end of today._" She pleaded.

"_All those blokes?_" Lauren screwed her face up in disgust at the thought of what Whitney was doing.

"_One more day. And I'm going to find her and I'll bring her home._"

The teenagers looked at each other before sighing and wordlessly leaving the flat; not promising to do as Janine asked, but not completely ruling the option out either. They headed across the Square, not really sure where they were going. They'd hardly got anywhere when they heard their names being called from behind them.

"_Lauren?_ Katy!"

They turned to see Ricky and Carol running after them along Bridge Street. They looked frantic so, with an almost reluctant look at each other, Katy and Lauren paused, waiting for the pair to catch up with them.

"_Listen… err… thanks for last night. You know, looking for Whitney._"

"_We… didn't find her._" Lauren said. Katy didn't trust herself to speak. She was adamant that keeping the truth from Whitney's family was a bad idea.

"_It means a lot knowing that she's got friends like you._" Carol told them. The remark made keeping the secret even more difficult.

"_We looked everywhere._" Lauren said, almost as if she was trying to justify not finding the teenager.

"_What about this club? This club that Tiff mentioned?_"

"_It was just…_" Katy shot Lauren a warning look, realising that Lauren's resolve about keeping the secret was starting to crumble and seeing Janine approaching.

"_No, she… err… She wasn't there._" The woman said quickly, taking over.

"_But you found it, yeah?_" Ricky asked. Neither of the teenagers could look at him or Carol. Instead they shuffled awkwardly at the spot, looking at each other and the ground.

"_No one had even heard of her._"

Katy wished that Janine would just stop talking. It would be easier to go back on their story if they didn't put as much detail into it. Lying like this was only going to make telling them the truth a lot harder.

"_This bloke, this Rob person? Was it his club?_" Carol asked, looking almost suspiciously at the three of them.

"_Yeah… we tried, didn't we? You know… we're going to keep on trying._" Janine promised. Katy and Lauren nodded.

"_Thanks._" Ricky said as he walked away, shooting them a grateful smile. Carol looked suspicious but didn't say anything, shooting the teenagers a weak smile too as she followed her son-in-law. Janine and the girls exchanged a look before the older woman turned and followed them along the road.


	122. Chapter 122

Katy and Lauren hardly had time to exchange a look before Fat Boy approached. He had a hard, serious look on his face as he faced the girls after Janine had walked away. Looking between the girls, he sighed and gave a sad shrug.

"_You found her, didn't you?_" He said in a grim voice, staring them out. Katy shook her head half-heartedly but Lauren nodded. Fat Boy looked pityingly at the Mitchell for her flimsy attempt at a lie and sighed. Mercy joined them at that moment, looking concerned at all the serious faces.

"Lauren!" Katy said accusingly. If Fat Boy told anyone and news got back to Ricky or Carol before the teenagers had spoken to them… well, Katy didn't want to think about how Whitney's family would react.

"What, Katy… we have to tell them. They're her mates as well."

"I know but… alright. Just don't say anything to anyone." Katy warned them, getting ready to fill them in. Between them, Katy and Lauren told Fat Boy and Mercy everything, from finding Whitney at the club to the numerous phone calls since the car had sped off with the teenager in the back.

"_That is…_" Fat Boy started with his hands deep in the pockets of his money-belt. "_That is deep…_"

Mercy looked as though she was struggling with the information as she leant against the boy's stall. "_I mean… Whitney?_"

"_Whitney? This ain't right, baby girl, alright? This is our Whit, our little Whit."_ Fat Boy said angrily. Then he added with obvious curiosity. "_D'you think she was… you know… doing that stuff round here?_"

"What?" Katy demanded, punching him hard on the arm nearest to her. "Don't be an idiot, Fat Boy."

"_She's not doing anything._" Lauren told him firmly.

"_I was just saying._"

"_Well don't just say!_" Lauren hissed through clenched teeth. Katy backed up the point with another, harder, punch to his arm. Fat Boy exclaimed and held the spot out of her way, pulling a face at her. She stared back annoyed.

"She's still Whit." Katy said in a softer voice. Fat Boy and Mercy looked at the two girls worriedly. Lauren sighed.

"_She's not a prostitute._"

"_She was acting weird at R&R a couple of months back._" Mercy said, putting past events together with the new information she'd just learnt.

Katy was shocked. "What?"

"_And she tried it on your dad that night._" Fat Boy added looking at Lauren. The girl stiffened beside Katy, who knew how sensitive her best friend was about that evening.

"_It's got nothing to do with that._" Lauren snapped.

"Listen. Nothing that happened before Whitney vanished is important, OK. This Rob guy's done this to her… no one or nothing else. Him." Katy told them firmly. "So forget about everything else, got it?"

"_Well, I just meant that… you know… stuff was going down, alright, and none of us said a thing. She's our friend, man._" Fat Boy said quickly, trying to explain himself. "_How can she be going through something like that and none of us know nothing?_"

Katy shifted uncomfortably at those words. There was so much her friends, with the exception of Lauren, didn't know about her. There was so much they would, if she got her way, never know about her.

"Sometimes people think it's best if they keep their problems to themselves, yeah." She said softly. Lauren looked at her, realising she wasn't talking about Whitney anymore. She squeezed her arm reassuringly.

"_I don't think she's coming back, you know?_" Lauren tried to change the subject as Fat Boy and Mercy looked at Katy curiously.

"_Look, don't say that, babe._"

"_She didn't sound like Whitney._" Lauren continued. "_She couldn't even see what was happening. She just kept going on and on about how much she loved him. And then she got in the car and went._"

"It's true. She just left… she refused to hardly talk to us and there was no way she was gonna leave him and come home." Katy added.

"_She could walk round the corner any minute._" The Mitchell looked at Mercy with irritation after this optimistic comment.

"Don't be so naïve." She snapped.

"_What if none of us ever hear from her ever again?_" Lauren was close to tears now and Katy slipped her arm through her friend's.

"We can't think like that." Katy said with a sigh. "We've got to keep thinking that we'll be able to track her down eventually… or that she'll finally realise what's happening and come home on her own."

There were a couple of minutes of silence as the four of them considered the possible options that might happen. Lauren buried her head in Katy's shoulder, trying to hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"_You know what?_" Fat Boy said decisively after a while. "_Hour and a half tops, yeah?_" He handed his money-belt to a confused Mercy who took it, protesting that she didn't know anything about phones. "_Just jiggle the buttons and smile a bit, you'll be good._" Was the only advice she received as Fat Boy turned his attention to the other two girls and the situation at hand.

"_Why? Where you going?_"

"_This flat Whitney was at last night._"

"_You don't know what he was like!_" Lauren protested. Katy stayed silent, unsure whether or not going there would be as bad an idea as Lauren obviously thought it was.

"_What else are we supposed to do, huh? Nothing?_"

"He's right, Lor… we need to do something and Mercy knows where we are, yeah? If anything happens she'll raise the alarm, right?" Katy reasoned.

"_Now, can you remember where it was?_" Fat Boy asked the girls as Lauren's resolution wavered. Katy grinned, realising that they'd won. She nodded. "_Right, so, me and my girls, we've got some visiting to do._"

"I don't think you should come." Lauren said pointedly to Katy, who looked outraged. The Mitchell knew exactly what Lauren had meant by that comment; she thought Katy should stay away from a possible dangerous situation because she was pregnant.

"Why?" Mercy asked nosily.

"Rob proper threatened her, more than me…" Lauren lied quickly, saving Katy's secret.

"It'll be fine, yeah? I ain't letting you go without me, OK?" The Mitchell told her. She squeezed her arm, indicating that she understood that Lauren was looking out for her, but she didn't need it. Katy Mitchell could take care of herself. "Let's just get this done."


	123. Chapter 123

"_You know, you said he threatened you, yeah?_" Fat Boy asked as the three of them walked down the road the flat was on. He was starting to look worried as they got close to the house.

"_You don't have to do this._" Lauren assured him.

"Yeah, we won't think any less of you, I swear." Katy agreed with a warm smile.

"_No, but, you meant like… like verbally? Like he got a bit lippy?_"

Neither girl answered, not wanting to scare their friend anymore. They were outside the house now, the house they'd seen Whitney dragged from before getting into the car. Lauren nodded at it, indicating to Fat Boy that they'd arrived. Katy tensed as they stood in silence watching it.

Fat Boy approached the front door, but jumped back as it opened. Behind him, Katy and Lauren jumped too, until they realised that the figure leaving the building was none other than Janine. They both let out audible sighs of relief.

"_I've said that I'm dealing with it!_" She snapped setting eyes on the teenagers looking at her.

"_Yes, and I said I can't just sit here and do nothing._" Lauren snapped back.

"Do you actually realise what it's like?" Katy asked. "Sitting around waiting for news about your missing best mate?"

"_Go home!_"

"_When we find her._" Fat Boy joined in, his confidence back when he realised that it was Janine and not the infamous Rob that was in front of him.

"_They've gone._"

"_Gone?_" Lauren couldn't believe what the woman said. Neither could Katy. Where could they possibly have gone?

"_Gone, OK? And I don't want you to be the next one disappearing in the back of a car._" Janine said, her voice shaking with emotion. "Either of you… I couldn't… I couldn't bear it if you vanished too."

"_We've got Fat Boy._" Lauren said with a shrug, either not realising or just not wanting to admit how much it must have cost Janine to tell them that.

"_This is not a game, Lauren, and you know it. Go home."_

Katy pulled at Lauren's arm, pulling her away from the house. Annoyed, Lauren followed, with Fat Boy after her. As the house was about to leave her view, Katy turned and looked back at Janine. She was staring off down the street, almost in desperation.

Lauren was fuming during the entire tube journey back to Walford. Katy wasn't really in the mood to talk either and spent the time staring out of the window into the darkness of the tunnel. Fat Boy did his best to get them talking, but after failing miserably, he gave up.

When they got to Albert Square, Lauren strode ahead, with Fat Boy just behind her, trying to keep up and Katy trailing behind almost in a daze.

"_Lauren!_" He was shouting. He glanced backwards to check Katy was still there before turning back to the younger girl. "_Lauren. At least we tried, alright?_"

"_Oh, yeah,_" Lauren said, her best sarcasm coming out, "_I'll put that on the gravestone._"

Katy had caught up by now and stood beside Fat Boy, her arms wrapped around herself comfortingly.

"_We'll go back tomorrow._" The boy assured his friends. "_And the day after that, 'til we find her._"

"_Yeah? What if we don't?_" Lauren snapped.

"_We will._"

"_Your sister owes me £2.20._" Ian cut in; ignoring the fact that Lauren was in the middle of a conversation. Katy looked at him in disbelief.

"Go away, Ian." Katy said with a sigh. He turned to her looking outraged, before deciding getting into an argument with her wasn't worth the hassle and walking back towards his chippy.

"_You just don't get it, do you?_" Lauren continued as though there had been no interruption. "_They could be doing anything to her, anything._"

Lauren walked off and, after glancing at Fat Boy, Katy followed, leaving the boy staring hopelessly after them. They walked to the car lot in silence before the younger girl stopped suddenly.

"Listen," she said quietly, "I wanna talk to my dad, OK? Go and relax or whatever… I'll phone you later, yeah?"

"Are you gonna be OK?" Katy asked concerned. She didn't like the look on Lauren's face; the teenager was worried about what Lauren might do.

"Yeah… I just need to talk to my dad."

"Fine… just make sure you ring me later, yeah babe?"

"Yeah."

Katy watched Lauren going into the office of the car lot and smiled weakly. Then she turned and headed for the flat. Maybe one of her sisters would be around. Even Amy or James would be better than no company at all until Lauren phoned.

x

"You alright?" Katy said, picking up her mobile on the first ring later that night.

"Carol and Ricky know everything." Lauren replied, ignoring Katy's question. "I had to tell dad and he made me tell them."

"What did they say?"

"Auntie Carol's blaming herself, everyone's mad at Janine…" Lauren said, obviously trying to sound casual but failing dismally. It was impossible for her to hide her emotions from Katy. "But Vanessa was worst… saying she was a prostitute and that I'm better off without her. I swear I nearly hit her."

"You should have!"

"Yeah, and have Dad on my case? Nah… I just pointed out that when she was our age she married a man for his money and got him to raise her kid as his own, so she was the last person who should be giving lectures on prostitution. That shut her up."

Katy laughed. "I bet it did. Nice one kid." There were a couple of moments of silence before she spoke again. "What's happening about Whit?"

"I dunno… the old people are on it now." Lauren said with a sigh. Obviously she meant her Dad and Carol and Ricky. "I think they think we're not needed anymore."

"We ain't giving up though?" Katy asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"No way. You and me, Katy, we're gonna track Whitney Dean down if it's the last thing we do. Got it?"


	124. Chapter 124

"Lauren… answer your damn phone." Katy hissed at twenty-five past one on Tuesday afternoon. She had thirty-five minutes until she was supposed to be meeting Anna, the midwife at the hospital. Lauren had promised to go with her because Katy was terrified at the thought of having a nuchal translucency scan, whatever one of them even was. She knew Anna had explained it at the last appointment, but she hadn't really taken much of what the woman had told her in. "Seriously woman if you don't pick up…"

She made a furious noise and threw her mobile back into the bottom of her bag. She kicked the pillar outside the Brannings' house where she'd been waiting for Lauren in annoyance and tried to build up the courage to go to the appointment on her own.

"Alright, darlin'?" Tanya said brightly as Katy leant against the pillar giving herself a stern talking to.

"Mmmm…" Katy said hesitantly. Her unease made the woman stop abruptly and put an arm around the teenager's shoulders.

"Katy… what's happened?"

"Nothing… I've got a scan… nuchal translucency or something? Lauren promised she'd come to the hospital with me but I dunno where she is." Katy confided in the woman. "She was in English with me but then she had art before lunch and I was supposed to be meeting her there, but when I went to check she'd gone."

Tanya looked slightly worried at this news, but didn't say anything about her daughter's disappearance. Instead she smiled at the teenager, put an arm through Katy's and guided her towards the tube station.

"In the absence of one Branning you can have another in her place." She said. "Come on."

Katy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion for a couple of seconds before she realised what Tanya meant. Then she smiled weakly back. "Thank you, Tanya, really. I…"

"I know, darlin', I know."

x

"So, are you Katy's mother?" Anna asked as the two women sat, slightly awkwardly, side-by-side in front of the desk. They glanced at each other before bursting out laughing.

"No." Tanya said shaking her head and giggling. "No, I'm not her mother."

"She's a friend. Almost like a second mother." Katy said, for want of a better way to describe the woman. Tanya smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Anna smiled at the both before glancing down at Katy's notes.

"Now… you're here for your NT scan, yes?" Katy nodded in response to her question. "Do you remember what that's for?"

"No." Katy said simply shaking her head. Anna smiled again.

"Don't worry. It's basically just an ultrasound to assess whether your baby is likely to have any problems. I'll be able to measure your baby from the top of his head to the bottom of his spine which will make it easier to accurately date your pregnancy. You'll be able to see your baby's head and spine, limbs, hands and feet on the screen." Anna explained slowly. Katy nodded along.

"See… it's nothing scary." Tanya told her reassuringly.

"Nope, it's really easy." Anna agreed. "Come and lie on here. If you pull your top up I'll put the gel on your stomach and we'll be able to see the image on this screen."

Nervously, with Tanya smiling and nodding reassuringly at her, Katy did as she was told, wincing slightly as the freezing substance was applied to her stomach and the midwife moved the device around.

"There, look." She said gently, pointing at the screen of the machine.

Katy stared open-mouthed at the shape on the screen. It was a baby… sort of. There was a blobby sort of body with a large head and little arms and legs sticking out. It looked strange.

"That's my baby…" Katy said quietly. It might look strange, but it was hers. It was something that would love her unconditionally and no one could take away from her. She hoped, anyway.

"Oh… darlin'…" Tanya said, welling up. Katy smiled at her. Tanya was so overemotional and loved babies at the best of times.

"Now, we can print you out a picture if you'd like?" Anna asked. "Would you like to know the sex?"

Katy looked at Tanya, as though asking her advice on the matter. The blonde shrugged, unable to stop herself grinning. With a shrug, Katy nodded too, returning her eyes quickly to the image on the screen.

"Well, I'm pleased to tell you that all the signs indicate that you're having a little girl. It's not 100% accurate… we'll be able to tell more accurately later on, but for now I'd say you're having a baby girl." Anna said with a smile. Katy sighed looking at the baby; her daughter. "I'll just get your printout and you can make your next appointment at the desk."

Katy allowed Anna to wipe the gel off her stomach, still stunned by the massive amount of emotion she felt. She couldn't even speak. She and Tanya pulled on their jackets, listening to Anna talking about the next appointment Katy would need and what she should make sure she did until then.

As they were leaving the hospital, Tanya tried to raise the subject of Ronnie and Roxy. Katy seemed too lost in her own thoughts to listen properly to the woman's words. In the end, Tanya waited until they were sitting on the tube heading back to the Square before she made Katy look at her and listen to what she was saying.

"Katy, darlin', you need to tell your sisters about this." She said quietly. "It's so much more real now. They need to know, you know they'll be devastated when they find out you've kept this from them."

"I know." Katy sighed. "I know. But finding the right moment is too hard. Every time I make up my mind to tell them something else more important happens."

"I doubt they'd think whatever was stopping you was more important than the news that you're pregnant." The blonde told her, rubbing her arm comfortingly.

Katy sighed and leant against Tanya, resting her head on the woman's shoulder. Tanya hugged her. For the woman having someone who seemed to need her so much was something she hadn't felt for a while. Lauren and Abi were growing up and even Oscar seemed to be more interested in being independent than relying on his mother. The Mitchell teenager was such a lost soul that Tanya couldn't resist enjoying feeling needed.

"You have to tell them." She whispered into Katy's ear as the teen huddled closer to her.


	125. Chapter 125

_**Don't worry… the reveal IS coming soon! I promise! Just one more chapter after this and then Katy will tell her sisters!**_

Tanya and Katy walked from the tube station in the direction of the Square. As they approached the Vic, Carol called Katy's name, trying to attract her attention. Nervously the teenager turned to see what she wanted.

"I'll have to leave you here." Tanya said with a warm smile. She gave the teenager a brief hug. "Bridesmaid's dresses to sort out! Anyway, look after yourself darlin'…. OK? See you later."

"See ya." Katy returned the smile. As one blonde left, the other one caught up with her. Carol looked dishevelled. She was obviously worried about her step-granddaughter; that much was obviously. "You alright, Carol?"

"Yeah… I want to know why you didn't tell us… about Whitney?" Carol demanded, launching into her Spanish inquisition.

"I wanted to… I really did." Katy said truthfully. "But Janine said we shouldn't; that we should keep it a secret and find her ourselves so that you didn't worry more than you needed to."

"That's ridiculous." The woman snapped, folding her arms in annoyance.

"I know… but I wasn't thinking straight. Everything that happened, I thought maybe she was right." Katy sighed. "You didn't see her, Carol. She wasn't Whitney… she wouldn't listen. She didn't want us anywhere near her. She just kept going on and on about how much she and Rob were in love. She refused to believe that anyone was worried about her; apparently Rob's the only one who cares."

"That's rubbish!"

"You don't have to tell me that." Katy said more harshly than she'd intended. Carol paused.

"I went to see Connor the other day." She said in a different tone; a tone that Katy couldn't quite read. The teenager stiffened, wondering why she was being told about this. "He asked how you were."

"Oh… that's nice." Katy said trying to sound indifferent. "Why would he ask about me? He knows I can't stand him…"

"That's what I wondered." Carol agreed, narrowing her eyes. "Someone down the market told me they'd seen you leaving the arches one morning and him leaving just after. Did you?"

Katy shrugged and shook her head. "No. Why would I?"

"Just asking… I thought it sounded a bit weird." Carol said slowly, still looking suspiciously at the teenager. Katy kept her face looking innocent.

"What's it to you, anyway?" She demanded. "You're not still…"

"No!" Carol said defensively. Katy was glad that the limelight was now firmly back on the older woman. "No, I was just wondering…"

"Yeah, well, there's nothing to wonder about, right?" Katy said with a shrug. "Listen, I gotta go. Let me know if you hear anything about Whit, yeah?"

Carol nodded as the teenager walked off. Katy held her breath until she was at the steps to the flat and exhaled sharply. She didn't want anyone to ever know about her and Connor. Not ever.

Letting herself in, the teenager shouted hello and got no response. There was a note from Jack on the counter. 'At pub with Michael – Business meeting, J + J xx'. Katy noticed it as she was getting a glass of juice and sighed. Ronnie would do her nut when she saw that. She thought Jack managing to convince her to go shopping without James was amazing, considering how badly her post-natal depression was still affecting her, but taking him to the pub, and with Michael Moon as well, was pushing her a bit too far.

"Oh well… they can sort themselves out." She said aloud, picking up the TV remote and dropping onto the sofa.

She was engrossed in rubbish reality TV by the time Ronnie, slightly more cheerful than usual, arrived back at the flat and started making dinner. The teenager was too interested in what was happening on the screen to even glance up. The mindless nonsense that was pouring out of the mouths of the people on the stupid TV show kept her mind off everything that was happening around her.

"Did you not even bother to check the dinner?" Ronnie snapped opening the oven and wafting away the smoke that came out. Katy looked over her shoulder, hardly having noticed before than her sister was back.

"Oh… sorry." She said vaguely. Ronnie didn't reply. Katy glanced up as her sister left, wearing the oven gloves and carrying their dinner with her. "What the… oh great." She snapped at the empty flat. "Ronnie's gonna be in a terrible mood and we've got no dinner. Fantastic."

About five minutes later, Ronnie arrived back with James, but without their dinner. She was ranting under her breath about Jack and Michael. Katy sighed and took James out of her arms, guiding her to the sofa and putting the baby in his carry cot before getting her sister a large glass of wine. Telling Ronnie about the pregnancy was definitely out of the question tonight, the blonde was not in the mood for something like that.

After settling James in Ronnie and Jack's bedroom, Katy walked back into the living room and found her sister fast asleep on the sofa. Katy sighed and grabbed her jacket. Quietly she closed the flat door and headed out onto the Square.

'_You'll never guess what._" Lauren text Katy just as the Mitchell reached the Vic, passing Jack on his way out. She assumed that he hadn't seen her because he looked worried and walked purposefully towards the flat they shared.

'_What?_'

'_My sister and… JAY._'

'_You are kidding?_'

'_No way… dad walked in on them kissing and went skitz. He doesn't want Jay anywhere near Abs._'

'_LOL… I'll try and get the goss from Jay. Speak later x'_

She changed her path, heading to Number 55. Jay answered immediately and, raising her eyebrows, Katy pushed past him into the hall. Jay smirked and shut the door, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You've heard then? Lauren told you already?" He asked grinning.

"Yeah, course she has. So, what's the deal?" Katy was determined to get the whole story out of the boy. He led her into the front room and they settled on the sofa facing each other. Jay had just explaining about him and Abi, to Katy, Ben and Heather, as well as Phil and Shirley who had just arrived back, when there was a loud banging on the front door.

"_I'll get it._" Shirley said, getting up from her perch on the arm of Phil's chair.

"_So? What did we miss while we was away?_" Phil asked as she left the room. Katy wondered what to tell him. But her response wasn't really needed… not with Heather in the room.

"_Well, Darren, he tried to get residency of George, you know, and I got scared. But, you know, he didn't, so that was good._" Heather said. Phil looked at the teenagers who grinned back, trying not to laugh. Heather was lovely and everything, but her world revolved around her son which was a good thing, but she didn't seem to realise that not everyone was as interested in the kid.

"_So what did we miss that was interesting while we was away?_" Phil asked. Before anyone could answer, Max appeared in the doorway.

"_Alright, Phil? Good honeymoon?_" He asked with a nod, before turning to look at Jay. Max looked slightly taken aback to see Katy curled up on the sofa, but then he remembered that she was a Mitchell. The teenager felt slightly odd, as though she'd been caught doing something she really shouldn't be doing, when she saw the look on his face.

"_We didn't go on honeymoon._"

"_This won't take long; keep Jay away from my daughter._"

"_Why, what's he done?_" Phil asked.

"_I kissed her._" Jay said with a smirk. Katy had to work hard to stop herself grinning. She didn't think that would go down too well with her best friend's dad.

"_You kissed her?_" Shirley repeated in mock horror.

"_Well, if this is true, let's get the old bill round here now! Let's not waste time, eh._" Phil chuckled sarcastically. Max didn't look the least bit amused.

"_Just keep him away._"

"_Yeah, alright, Max, we will._" Shirley said, pulling a face at the teenage boy. "_Thanks for coming round, eh. See yourself out. Bye._" She settled herself back onto the arm of Phil's chair while Katy grinned at Jay. "_Hev, go and make a nice cup of tea._" She commanded.

Heather went and the conversation turned back to Phil and Shirley's holiday. Katy left after half an hour or so and, because Ronnie was still asleep, the teenager checked on her nephew and went to bed. The events of the day had totally exhausted her.


	126. Chapter 126

"Will you just stop bloody phoning Jack?" Katy snapped as she got ready for school the next morning.

"Mind your own business you nosy cow and get to school." Ronnie snapped back, clutching her phone. Jack hadn't returned to the flat the night before and his wife was worried. Her teenage sister was just as worried about their relationship because she refused to see her sister upset.

"I'm going." She said with an exasperated sigh. "See ya." Katy was almost at the door before she doubled back and hugged Ronnie tightly over the back of the sofa. She kissed the top of her head. "He'll be home soon, don't worry."

Ronnie sighed. "Thanks, sweetie… see you later."

x

Katy's day at school dragged. Neither she nor Lauren was in the mood to learn. Katy had had to walk to school alone that morning because Lauren had a double free first thing and wasn't in until Sociology after break. The Mitchell's first two lessons, double Geography, seemed to be taking a lifetime.

When she finally caught up with her best friend, Katy filled Lauren in about the conversation at Phil's the evening before. Lauren laughed at her dad's overprotective behaviour and told Katy how he'd acted with Peter when he and Lauren had been a couple.

That got the pair of them wondering what the Beale twins were up to. They hadn't really heard anything from them since they'd asked if either had heard from Whitney. It also got Katy thinking about the kiss she and Peter had shared when he said goodbye. Maybe, if he'd stayed, things could have been different. Then she cleared the thought from her mind; things were the way there were and there was nothing she, or anyone else, could do to change them. They just had to get on with life.

"Listen, you fancy coming to mine this afternoon?" Lauren asked she gathered her things for Sociology. Katy had a free so she was staying in the common room. "We can just chill out… pretend that our lives are normal and simple… for once."

Katy grinned. "Sounds like a plan. Maybe we can interrogate your sister?" She laughed and watched Lauren leave the common room.

Unusually for her, she felt like doing something productive and pulled her latest politics essay question towards her. Picking up a biro, she started scribbling notes on the US constitution and didn't notice the boy approaching her until he was really close. She jumped, drawing a line through her writing.

"What d'you want, Alex?" She snapped looking at her ruined work.

"I was just… I mean… d'you fancy getting something to eat later… or sometime?" He asked hesitantly, her blatant hostility freaking him out. Katy was stunned.

"What? Like a date?" She asked staring at him.

"Well, yeah."

She smiled. Then she sighed, her eyes glazing over. "I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Why?"

"You couldn't handle my family for one thing." She said, only half joking. "The Mitchells aren't an easy family to join."

"I could give it a shot." Alex said, persevering.

"We'll see…" Katy said slowly. "Not right now, yeah?"

"Alright… but I'll keep asking 'til you say yes." The boy warned with a cheeky grin. Katy smiled back and watched him walking away. When he found out about the baby, she wouldn't see Alex for dust.

x

Katy told Lauren about Alex asking her out as they walked back to her house after History. Lauren was intrigued and slightly annoyed that she hadn't predicted that turn of events. They discussed whether he would care about the fact that she was pregnant. Katy rolled her eyes.

"You are insane if you think any seventeen-year-old boy isn't going to be bothered that his girlfriend is having another guy's baby." She said almost laughing at Lauren.

"Yeah, but I don't think Alex is the kind of guy that would kick off about summit like that." Lauren told her with a shrug.

"You don't think he's the kind of guy… Lauren he's a guy… that's the clue, yeah?"

"Yeah, I know… but he's different from the others… he's sensible. He could do something proper, yeah? Go to uni, get a good job…"

"Exactly, Lor, he doesn't need to be tied down to someone else's kid. Alex needs to have his own life. He needs to do his own thing, work out what he wants to do… maybe… maybe one day… but now, yeah? Now it's just me and her."

"Her?" Lauren stopped and squealed. "You found out it's a girl?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? Or your mum?"

"My mum knows?" Lauren asked in confusion. "How?"

Now it was Katy's turn to look confused. "She came with me to the scan yesterday? You never turned up and I was in a state so your mum offered to come with me. She was so lovely and supportive."

Lauren slapped a palm to her forehead. "Your NUT scan! Oh, shit, I am SO sorry babe! I completely forgot about it."

"It's called a NT scan… not a nut scan. I'm not a bloody squirrel!" Katy said with a grin. "It's OK, you've got stuff on your mind, I understand."

"Yeah, but I promised you I'd go and I let you down." Lauren said, visibly upset.

Katy stopped walking and turned to her best friend. "Lauren Branning will you just give it a rest? You're my best mate and if I thought you'd deliberately not turned up I'd be pissed off, OK? But I know you probably just had too many other things on your mind. Besides, you'd probably have been crap in that appointment!"

They both starting laughing at how true Katy's words were. Lauren wouldn't have been able to deal with all the medical terms and the hospital situation. She'd have run at the first sight of any kind of medical equipment.

"So, have you told Ronnie and Roxy yet?" Lauren asked curiously.

"No… I tried the other day and I was going to tell them last night, but Ronnie had an argument with Jack so I guessed it wasn't the right time. I'm gonna try again later." Katy sighed.

"Let me know how it goes." Lauren ordered, linking her arm through Katy's. "The future of my God-Daughter depends on this reveal."


	127. Chapter 127

_**Here it is… the moment you've been waiting for! ;) **_

Katy took a deep breath and walked into the flat where her sisters were sitting on the sofa laughing and watching a film. They both had a glass of wine in one hand. Neither sister looked at the teenager as she walked into the room.

"Alright, babe." Roxy said, not looking up from the film. "How was Lauren's? Any news on Whit?"

"Fine thanks and no." Katy said unenthusiastically, perching on the arm rest next to Ronnie. The blonde put her arm round Katy and pulled her onto the sofa with her sisters smiling down at her. Her face fell instantly as she saw the look in the teenager's eyes.

"What's happened, Katy?" She demanded, moving so that Katy was sitting up properly between them. "What's wrong? Is it something to do with Whit?"

"Nothing's wrong, exactly." Katy said hesitantly, not looking at either of her sisters.

"Katherine Margaret Mitchell." Ronnie said in a threatening tone. "Tell me what's happened."

"I'm pregnant." Katy blurted out. She stood up and moved away from them slightly. She looked down at her hands, knowing that her sisters would be exchanging horrified looks. There was a brief silence as the two blonde women digested the news. Then Ronnie took a step towards her younger sister.

"You stupid cow!" Ronnie hissed in a furious voice. She raised her hand and slapped Katy around the face. There was a sharp sound and the teenager felt stinging spreading across her cheek. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Ronnie, who was also looking as though she was about to cry. Ronnie turned tail and stormed out of the flat, slamming the front door behind her.

"Rox…" Katy whimpered, looking at the younger blonde, tears streaming down her cheeks. Roxy bit her lip before leaping towards the teenager and pulling her towards her. She sighed holding her close and stroking her hair as Katy clung onto her older sister and bawled her eyes out.

"It'll be alright." She whispered into her sister's dark hair. "Shhh… I promise it'll be alright." Roxy was lying. She didn't know whether it would be alright or not. She knew it, Katy knew it and Roxy knew that Katy knew it. Ronnie was the strong one, not her. Ronnie was the one who made things alright. But Ronnie had gone. Ronnie might not even come back. She wasn't impressed with her sister. And she wasn't happy about the situation.

Neither was Roxy. Katy was the clever one. Katy was the Mitchell sister who would go places. She was supposed to have a future and here she was, pregnant at eighteen. What was she going to do now?

x

Roxy was relieved when, almost three hours later, she heard the sound of the key turning in the lock. She glanced up to see Ronnie leaning against the wall, looking at the scene in front of her coldly. Catching her sister's eye, with a sharp exhalation of breath, Ronnie moved across the room and dragged Katy towards her holding the teenager tightly in her arms. She couldn't lose another 'daughter'. Because even though she knew Katy wasn't her daughter, in Ronnie's head, she was.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I am so, so sorry." She breathed cuddling her.

Roxy joined in the hug and they stayed, standing in a huddle, for what seemed like a very long time. When Ronnie had composed herself she led her sisters back to the sofa and they sat, looking at each other.

"Are you sure?" Roxy asked Katy, holding her hand tightly.

"Five pregnancy tests don't lie." Katy said in a strangled voice. "Nor does a test at the doctors and an ultrasound."

"Where did you get the money for five pregnancy tests?" Roxy asked distracted, as usual, by money. Katy shot her a look underneath her hair that Roxy understood completely; don't ask.

"What does that matter?" Ronnie snapped. She took Katy's hands in one of hers and turned her chin so she was looking at her. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm not having an abortion." Katy said shaking her head firmly. "I'm not killing her." Her eyes filled with tears.

Ronnie wrapped her arms around her little sister, her soft blonde hair falling across Katy's face. The comforting smell of her perfume made Katy sob even more. Roxy hugged Katy as well, on her other side, laying her face on her sister's shoulder.

"It's a girl?" Ronnie asked quietly. Katy nodded.

"When's she due?" Roxy asked quietly.

"Beginning of October."

"What?" Her sisters asked at the same time, their mouths and eyes wide with shock.

"So you're… how far gone?"

"Twelve weeks." Katy said, looking at her hands. "I wanted to tell you, I really did… but it never seemed to be a good time." Her sisters looked at her guiltily.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." Ronnie said almost crying. "I should have been there for you."

"So should I." Roxy agreed. "From now on, we will be. How long have you known?"

"I've suspected for a long time," Katy said with a wry smile, "since the middle of February really." Her sisters both gasped. "But I've known for sure since the middle of March. I saw the doctor on March 10th and he confirmed it. Then I saw the midwife last Tuesday and yesterday."

"Why didn't you say something?" Ronnie was incredibly hurt that Katy had kept it to herself all that time.

"I told you, the timing was always bad. There was the thing with Glenda and then Whitney and everything else sort of happened. I didn't want to put any more worry on you. I almost told you yesterday, after my appointment, but you'd just had that argument with Jack and Rox was caught up with the Salon and everything… it didn't seem like a good time."

Ronnie sighed and folded Katy into another hug. "You're our baby sister; it's our job to worry about you, OK? Remember that. You can always tell us anything, whatever's going on. Now, do you know whose it is?" she asked seriously, looking her sister squarely in the eyes. Katy shook her head and gave a small shrug.

"It's 50, 50." She said weakly, remembering the horrible few days she'd had at the beginning of the year. "But whatever happens, neither of them are ever going to find out." Katy said fiercely. Her sisters nodded, exchanging looks again.

x

The next morning Katy was ready for school and out of the flat much earlier than usual. She had purposefully avoided both her sisters and waited for Lauren in the middle of the square. She traced the words on the bench's plaque carefully, not reading them.

"Morning." Lauren said after what seemed like forever. "You OK?"

"Yeah." Katy said calmly. She still had a faint pink mark on her cheek where Ronnie had slapped her.

"How did they take it?"

"Surprisingly well." Katy said with a nod and a meaningful look at her friend. "Only one slap… Ron asked me what I wanted to do. Neither of them tried to make me have an abortion… I think after Danielle…" She trailed off; not wanting to speak what was on her mind. Lauren understood and nodded, linking her arm through the older girl's and propelling her along the road.

"What are you going to do about school and stuff?" She asked curiously.

"Well… it's due in like… October?" Katy said, trying to remember the due date in her head. "So I'll just carry on like normal, take a couple of weeks off around then and come back to school after."

"Will you be able to cope?" Lauren asked, concerned.

"We sit our exams in like May so I'll only be four months gone." Katy said determinedly. "Then we're back at school for two months then we get the holidays. I'll be fine."

"When are you going to tell them? Alcock and everyone?"

"What is this? The Spanish inquisition?" Katy snapped. Then she took a deep breath. "Sorry, I had to go through all this last night with Ron and Rox. I'm going to tell them when it's obvious. Probably in September when we go back or maybe just before. I don't want everyone to know. You said yourself everyone was totally harsh to Luce when she got pregnant."

"True." Lauren said with a smile. "I'm sorry… let's talk about something normal."

Katy smiled gratefully at her friend and they made their way to school talking about everything else they could think of, mainly the Whitney situation.


	128. Chapter 128

_**When I saw the guy who was bullying Ben on Eastenders last night I nearly had a heart attack… not only is he called Nathan, but he looks like I'd imagined Katy's Nathan to look! Very freaky!**_

Katy couldn't deny that it was a massive weight off her shoulders telling Ronnie and Roxy about the baby. Obviously Jack was told as soon as he arrived home which had, Katy was worried, caused another argument between the oldest sister and her husband; Ronnie, in her bad mood over Michael still playing a massive role in their lives, had blamed Jack for kicking the teenager out in the first place.

Jack had decided to quit working with Max at the car lot and concentrate on building up the boxing gym with Michael. Ronnie was still angry that Michael had tried it on with her and that Jack had forgiven him straight away. The worst thing was that he was always there, everywhere they turned Michael Moons grinning face could be seen. It was driving Ronnie, and even Katy, mad.

Katy leant on the breakfast bar in the kitchen, watching Ronnie and Jack arguing over his decision about being more involved with the gym. Although Katy had a strong dislike for Michael, she didn't understand why Ronnie was making such a big deal about Jack spending so much time there; it was his business and she understood why he would be keen to make sure it was working.

There was a knock on the door and Katy shuffled sideways as Roxy came into the flat. She smiled as her sister put an arm round her shoulders and greeted the other two. She sounded quite distant to Katy, but the teenager didn't know why that might be.

"_I'm having the worst day._" Roxy said, as though she'd read her younger sister's thoughts.

"_Listen… we're right in the middle of something._" Ronnie said with a slight sigh. "_Can we… can we have some dinner later, yeah?_"

"_Yeah, OK, definitely._" Roxy sounded excited at the prospect, but her face fell at Ronnie's next words.

"_Just you, me, Katy and Jack._"

"_Yeah… definitely._"

"_I'll see you later, then._" Ronnie said, returning her attention to whatever she was cooking.

"_Bye…_" Roxy said. "Katy… can you come and help me with something."

The teenager nodded and followed her sister outside into the hall. Roxy kept going until they were outside and walking towards the Vic.

"Let's go and have a drink." The blonde said, almost pleadingly. "I'm meeting Christian, but Syed will be with him. Please come and save me! I'll even buy you a coke."

Katy laughed. "Is someone feeling a little left out?"

"No!" Roxy protested. Then she sighed and shrugged. "OK, maybe a little. But I thought we could do something… just you, me and Ron. I thought she was gonna suggest a girly dinner, but then she said Jack too."

"I noticed your face falling." Katy teased, linking her arm through her sister's. They passed Michael trying to advertise the boxing gym on the Square and Roxy couldn't resist stopping, a flirtatious grin spreading across her face. Katy looked down, not approving of her sister's latest crush.

"_Better?_" Michael asked Roxy, completely ignoring Katy's presence, which suited the teenager fine.

"_S'pose._" The blonde replied with a shrug, playing hard to get.

"_What you doing tonight?_" He asked with a grin.

"_Why?_"

"_Just making conversation._"

"_Well… actually, it's a boring conversation._" Roxy said. Katy agreed, rolling her eyes as she listened, completely forgotten by both adults.

"_Is it? Funny._"

"_As it happens I've been double booked by two different blokes._" Roxy said quickly. Katy furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, wondering what her sister was on about. It took her a couple of seconds to realise that Roxy was trying to make Michael jealous.

"_Have you now? You seeing 'em both, are you?_"

"_Well, actually, unlike some people I could mention, I've got a bit of class._"

He laughed at her words. "_Me, you mean?_"

"_You're quick, ain't you?_" Roxy said with a cheeky smile before dragging Katy away. When they were out of earshot she gave a small laugh. "He _so_ wants me."

"Oh, you've remembered that I'm here then? That I'm your sister, not just a life-sized Katy handbag?"

"Oh… don't you get all moody as well." Roxy snapped. Then she laughed again. "But he blatantly does want me, doesn't he?"

Katy shrugged. "I dunno… I guess." Roxy smiled triumphantly. "But I honestly don't think it's a good idea, Rox."

"Why not? He's fit, I'm gorgeous," she winked at the teenager who couldn't help giggling slightly at her silly older sister, "so what's not a good idea about it?"

Katy didn't dignify her question with an answer. Instead she shook her head and went into the pub first, pulling Roxy behind her. Christian was already sitting at a table in the corner and he waved the Mitchell sisters over and gave each a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. He went off to get the first round in as Syed was arriving. Katy surprised him by insisting that she wanted straight coke; no vodka.

"Here, baby Mitchell." He said, sliding a drink across the table to her. The teenager took a sip. The unmistakable taste of vodka hit her throat and she reluctantly swallowed; preferring not to spit the liquid everywhere.

"I said no vodka." She said shaking her head.

"I thought you were joking." Christian protested shaking his head. "Katy Mitchell not drinking vodka? Is there something wrong?"

"I'll get you a coke, don't worry about it." Roxy said quickly, moving to the bar.

"I've given alcohol up for lent." The teenager lied with a shrug. Christian and Syed exchanged a confused look but didn't say anything. Katy turned her attention to the bar where Roxy was talking to Alfie. In the background, Michael was staring pointedly at her.

The conversation at the table had descended into talk about what Christian and Syed would be having for dinner. Katy stifled a yawn, her fingertips resting lightly on her stomach. Maybe it was just her being sensitive, but the teenager could have sworn that a bump was starting to show.

Roxy put the drink down in front of her sister and sat on the stool beside her. The blonde looked equally bored as she realised what the conversation was about. She reached out and squeezed Katy's hand, indicating that she realised her sister wanted to keep the baby a secret. Katy smiled at her.

"_Oh, who's is that?_" Roxy asked, noticing a memory stick on the floor between her and Syed. "_Yours?_"

"_Err… yeah, thanks. Cheers._" Syed replied taking it. There was something about his face and the tone of his voice that raised Katy's suspicions. She wasn't sure why, but he looked too flustered for something not to be wrong. He looked slightly guilty as he returned to his conversation with Christian. "_No… I like lamb too…_"

The sisters looked between the two men, sighing in unison. They had the same glazed, bored expression on their faces as they listened to the talk between them. Sneaking a glance at her watch, Katy realised that there was still and hour and a half until they needed to be at the flat for dinner. She sighed.


	129. Chapter 129

_**Hellloooo! Sorry it's taken me FOREVER to post this chapter! I've been in Paris for a few days for my best friend's birthday! Thank you for the comments and things though – they came through on my mobile! Hope you're still enjoying reading this and carry on commenting! :)**_

"_Did I tell you James rolled over last night?_" Ronnie asked, topping up Roxy's glass of wine. She and Jack were finishing the cooking while Roxy and Katy sat side by side at the breakfast bar. Amy was asleep in Katy's bed and James was in his cot.

"_Really?_" Jack asked. Roxy sighed, looking gloomy.

"_Yeah, all by himself._"

"_That's amazing, innit?_"

"_Yeah it really is; it's amazing._" Ronnie agreed.

As much as Katy loved her sister and her nephew she didn't want to talk about the baby ALL the time. She would have enough baby talk as soon as people found out she was pregnant. Even now, with so few people knowing, she hardly seemed to talk about anything but babies.

The teenager's other sister seemed to agree. She sighed and rolled her eyes at Katy as Ronnie and Jack discussed their son. Katy knew that Roxy was just as besotted with the baby boy as she was but, like Katy, she'd hoped there would be other topics of conversation on offer.

"Katy, can you grab the knives and forks, sweetie." Ronnie asked as she got ready to serve the meal. The teenager nodded, putting her glass of orange juice in her place at the table and moving to get the cutlery.

"_Ron, you know where the teats are?_" Jack asked rummaging around. Ronnie sighed.

"_Yeah, they're in the drawer, where they always are._" She told him.

Jack opened the door as the buzzer went. Katy rolled her eyes at Roxy as the pair sat down on the table.

"_You OK?_" Ronnie asked.

"_Yeah, top of the world._" The younger blonde replied sarcastically. Ronnie looked at Katy questioningly and the teenager shrugged, taking a large gulp of juice so she didn't have to speak.

"_Room for a small one?_" Michael asked, popping his head around the door. Katy spluttered at his cheek, almost choking on her drink. Roxy smacked her on the back, hard, grinning at the man. Jack moved to put his arm round Ronnie who, from the way she was standing, obviously wasn't impressed by Michael's arrival. It didn't look as though Ronnie had much choice but to agree, so she nodded wordlessly.

"Get another plate, Jack." She ordered, coldly. "Katy… cutlery and a glass."

They did as they were told as Ronnie started serving up the meal; pasta with tomato sauce. It was gorgeous, but after spending almost the entire meal discussing it, well when they weren't talking about James or boxing, Katy was getting incredibly bored.

As soon as the meal ended, Katy made her excuses and went to Ronnie and Jack's room to check on James. She was bored of being the gooseberry to Ronnie and Jack and, apparently, Roxy and Michael. She lifted the small boy out of his cot and held him up so that his feet were resting on her legs. He pushed downwards so that he bounced up again, beaming at her. Katy smiled and bounced him up and down.

"You've got it easy, don't you, little man? Hmm?" She whispered. "If only life was always this simple."

She lay down on the bed, James lying on his stomach beside her. Smiling as he looked around with his big blue eyes, Katy put a hand on her small bump, trying to imagine what things were going to be like now. She found that she couldn't; it was too hard.

"Hey." Roxy said, poking her head round the door. "Stop moping and come and hang out with your sisters. That's an order."

Katy grinned and gently lifted James back into his cot. She stroked his soft hair and followed Ronnie, pulling the door almost closed behind her.

"_Look, Roxy…_" Ronnie said as Katy joined her sisters on the sofa. The teenager perched on the edge of the seat until her older sister pulled her closer.

"_Ron, please don't start, OK?_" Roxy said with a sigh. They were obviously in the middle of a conversation and Katy had no idea what they were talking about.

"_He messed you about before._"

"_Yeah, I know. I know, I haven't forgotten that._" Roxy almost snapped. Katy realised that they were talking about Michael and sighed. This was one point that her sisters were never going to agree on.

"_Good._"

"_It's actually quite nice to hang out with someone who doesn't talk about babies and pasta._"

"_Fine._"

"_He's really, really nice._" Roxy said almost begging her sisters to believe her. "_Just do me a favour and don't tell him I said that, yeah?_" Even Ronnie smirked at that request. She took a large gulp of her wine and didn't comment. Katy glanced over at the kitchen, where Jack and Michael were having a serious conversation. The door buzzer had gone and Jack went to open it. Curiously, Ronnie went to find out what was happening.

"Oh… it's only Max." Katy said.

"What d'you mean, 'it's only Max'?" Roxy asked furrowing her eyebrows. Katy shrugged.

"I haven't seen Lauren for days… I thought she might call round at some point."

Roxy glanced at her watch. "It's gone ten, babe, I doubt she'd come round now." Katy nodded, realising that Roxy's words made perfect sense. "Listen, you look exhausted, go and get some sleep."

"Alright…" Katy nodded, not managing to stifle a yawn.

"Just push Amy out of the way; you know how much she likes to spread out." Roxy grinned. The teenager nodded and kissed her goodnight. She hesitated, wondering whether to say goodnight to her other sister as well but, overhearing the conversation in the kitchen she decided against it. Max had just fired Jack from Branning Brothers. Escaping to her bedroom, Katy shook her head wondering why things never went to plan.


	130. Chapter 130

"KATY!" Ronnie shrieked, disrupting the teenager's sleep. "Get up!"

It was Friday morning and Katy was in no mood to get ready for school. Instead of doing what she was told, the youngest Mitchell sister rolled over, pulling the duvet up over her head and tried to get back to sleep. She'd just managed to doze off again when her sister opened the bedroom door and came into the room. She wrenched the covers off the teenager and dropped them in a pile on the floor.

"Katherine Mitchell get out of bed, NOW!" she shouted in her Katy's ear. The teenager realised her sister was in a foul mood and decided that it would be a very stupid idea to ignore her this morning. Reluctantly she dragged herself out of bed and started pulling a brush through her tangled hair.

Suddenly her stomach started churning and Katy had to run to the bathroom. She threw up, not needing to make sure she wasn't overheard anymore. Ronnie appeared in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at her sister.

"Serves you right." She snapped, looking down at the teenager who was almost hugging the toilet. Then she sighed and shook her head, kneeling beside Katy and rubbing her back. "Sorry…"

When the wave of morning sickness had subsided, Ronnie helped Katy to her feet, sat her on the edge of the bath and poured her a glass of water.

"Thanks." Katy said weakly, smiling at her.

"It gets better." Ronnie promised, squeezing her free hand. "I promise." She smiled more broadly. "But you're still going to school, you've missed enough lately and I promised Mr Alcock there would be no issues with your attendance."

x

"How's things in the mad house?" Lauren asked.

"You're so gonna wish you hadn't asked that." Katy told her grinning. "Basically, Ronnie and Jack keep arguing, your dad sacked Jack from the car lot and Roxy and Michael are flirting so much it's making my morning sickness worse."

Lauren laughed. "Really?"

"Yep. Going to school is almost the highlight of my day!"

"Ouch!" Lauren pulled a face at those words. The two girls walked to school in good moods; it was Friday, tomorrow was Saturday and the sun was shining. Both of them thought that they would have a great day.

Their optimism was short lived, however. No sooner had they walked into their form room when Jessica Palmer opened her mouth and called to Katy in her stupid, squeaky, cartoon character voice.

"Katy?"

Reluctantly Katy looked over, wondering what on earth the girl would want with her.

"I know a really good diet that I think would do you wonders." The blonde called across the room to her. Katy went bright red. She was twelve weeks pregnant and a small bump was showing. She'd purposefully warn a baggy hoody in an attempt to hide it, but Jessica's eagle eyes had spotted that she'd put on weight from a mile off.

"Yeah, well some of us would prefer to have a figure than be a friggin' stick insect like you, Palmer." Katy snapped back.

"Ohhh! Touchy!" Jessica's minion, Bethany Baker said with a spiteful grin.

"Back off, Baker." Katy spat, narrowing her eyes at them. Before anything else could be said, their tutor, Mr Kinnock, walked into the room and bellowed for quiet. Katy slipped into a seat beside Lauren, almost shaking with anger.

"Chill…" Lauren advised her. "It's not good for you to get stressed."

Katy was about to send her a cutting remark, when a wave of nausea washed over her and she was almost sick. Quickly, her hand shot up into the air and she asked to be excused. The man nodded, almost reluctantly and Katy moved as fast as she could to the door, without raising suspicions.

When she came back, Jessica looked over at her with a calculating expression on her face.

"Are you alright, Katy?" She asked in mock concern. "You look ill. Did you just throw up?"

"I'm fine." Katy snapped, dropped into her seat and turning away from the blonde teenager.

"Putting on weight, being sick… are you pregnant, Katy?" She asked. Katy turned and fixed her with a ferocious glare that made the girl recoil slightly. Jessica's mouth fell open. "Oh my god. I was only kidding… but you are, aren't you?"

Katy could feel all the eyes in the room burning into her. She stood up abruptly, knocking the chair over and started to walk out of the classroom, not wanting to talk about it.

"She is!" Bethany said loudly. She started to laugh, sounding like a lawnmower that had run over something it wasn't supposed to have. "Have you heard, her sister's husband has had kids with both Katy's sisters AND her cousin… maybe he got her up the duff as well? Ticked all four of them off his little list."

Seeing red, Katy snapped and crossed the classroom in one leap. She pushed Bethany to the floor and punched her in the face.

"Don't you ever… EVER… say anything about my family again. You understand?" She hissed. The teenager let out a small whimper and nodded feverishly.

"That goes from me an' all." Lauren spat glaring down at her from above Katy's head. The Mitchell hadn't even noticed her best friend behind her, but obviously Lauren wasn't about to hear her Uncle badmouthed. For good measure, Lauren gave the girl a swift kick in the leg.

Calmly Katy stood up and walked towards the front of the classroom. Lauren followed. Everyone was watching them in horror. Mr Kinnock opened his mouth to speak, but Katy pre-empted his order. "Mr Alcock's office?"

He nodded. They picked up their things and left the room without arguing. Katy knew they'd probably be expelled for this, but she really didn't care. Bethany Baker had deserved it. All Katy hoped was that the teenager had a black eye or a split lip or, preferably, both.


	131. Chapter 131

"But we were provoked!" Lauren exclaimed as the pair of them sat in front of the headmaster's desk ten minutes later.

"She deserved it." Katy added nonchalantly with a shrug. Mr Alcock sighed.

"Lauren, however much you were provoked, you cannot go around assaulting the other students." The man reasoned with her.

"I didn't assault her." Lauren moaned. "We were just warning her off."

"Yeah, it could have been much worse." Katy chipped in. Lauren shot her a look that plainly said, 'shut up, you're not helping.'

"Anyway, it's slander, what she said." The younger girl continued. "Saying my Uncle got Katy pregnant. It's a complete lie. What if someone heard that and thought it was true and then he lost business or something?"

"I am not disputing that Bethany shouldn't have said what she did." Mr Alcock sighed. "But what we are discussing is your behaviour towards her."

"Lauren didn't do anything." Katy said firmly. "It was all me."

The headmaster hesitated for a moment before deciding to accept this claim. "Lauren, can you wait outside please."

"I'd rather stay." Lauren said.

"Outside, please."

"I want her to stay." Katy said. "In case you try anything."

Mr Alcock looked extremely flustered. "Miss Mitchell, you are in enough trouble as it is…" He trailed off, seeing Katy's expression. "Very well, Lauren, you can stay. Now, in light of all the evidence, Katy, I have decided to suspend you from the school for the week and then, when you return next Monday, you will work in isolation for the next month."

"Work in isolation?" Katy was astonished that she wasn't being expelled. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was relieved. But she couldn't resist making another dig. "Very convenient for you–"

"Miss Mitchell." Mr Alcock said, working hard to control his temper. "I suggest that you do not finish that sentence and you do not make things worse for yourself. Miss Branning, you will receive two weeks of detentions for your involvement in the situation."

"You can't punish Lauren!" Katy exclaimed. "She didn't do anything."

"Miss Mitchell. I know full well what happened in that classroom. Now Lauren get back to class and you, Katy, wait outside until someone arrives to collect you."

x

The car journey back to the Square with Ronnie hadn't been a barrel of laughs, but Katy had told her sister exactly what happened and the blonde was furious. She had been all for going into school and talking to Bethany herself, but Katy had managed to persuade her not to. She'd also persuaded her sister to keep the reason behind her suspension a secret from everyone else.

Jack had hit the roof when his wife had told him her teenage sister had been suspended from school for fighting.

"Are you stupid?" He demanded. "Fighting? And while you're pregnant? What was it about, anyway?"

"This girl said I looked fat." Katy said, telling him half the story. Jack had shouted at her for being a total idiot and stormed out of the flat, heading to the boxing gym to set up for their opening night.

"Don't worry about him." Ronnie told her sister reassuringly, hugging her tightly. "He's just stressed."

Katy nodded and hugged her sister back. Ronnie made a fuss of the teenager all day until, that evening, she sent her over to the gym to spy on her sister and husband. Hoping to bump into Lauren and check she was OK, as well as trying to find out what had happened after she'd been sent home, Katy eagerly agreed and set off across the Square.

"Katy? Katy!" The teenager turned as she heard Carol calling her. She stopped and waited for the woman to catch her up by the Vic.

"You alright?" She asked wondering what Carol could possibly want with her.

"Yeah, can you do me a favour?"

"Now?" Katy asked, glancing at the time on her phone. "I was heading to the boxing gym… Ronnie wants me to keep an eye on Roxy and Jack."

"It won't take long." Carol assured her. "I accidentally told Dot about Whitney going missing and I think she's upset. I know how fond she is of you and I was wondering whether you'd mind popping round and having a chat with her?"

Katy hesitated. She really needed to be getting to the gym, but she couldn't leave Dot on her own if she was upset. Sighing, the teenager nodded.

"I think she must still be at the laundrette because I popped into the house and she wasn't back." Carol informed her. "Thanks, Katy."

The teenager made her way over to the laundrette. As Carol had guessed, the light was on, indicating that the woman was still inside. After knocking gently so that she didn't frighten Dot, Katy pushed the door open.

"Oh, sorry, Mrs B." She said, seeing at once that Dot had company. "I just wanted to check that you were OK, what with the light being on and all." The man, Mr Bishop Katy thought he was called, smiled broadly.

"Oh, thank you, dear. I'm fine. Mr Bishop here was just bringing me some Hoagy Carmichael tapes." Dot informed her with a warm smile. "Would you care to listen?"

Katy didn't know who or what a Hoagy Carmichael was, but now that she knew the older woman had company she was eager to get to the gym.

"No thanks. I mean, I'd love to, but I have to get over to the boxing gym… Basher Jim's, isn't it?" Dot beamed at the mention of the gym's name.

"Ah yes… tell Jack his father and me are wishing him luck."

Katy promised she would do and promptly left the shop, bumping into Carol almost immediately.

"Well?" Dot's step-daughter demanded eagerly.

"She's with Mr Bishop listening to Hoagy Carmichael on tape." Katy said with a shrug. "Whatever that means? But she seems fine."

Carol looked almost put out at this news, but shrugged and pulled her coat tighter around her. "Right," she said casually, "thanks."

Finally free, Katy headed over to the gym. She arrived just in time to see her sister strutting around the ring in a tiny blue and yellow cheerleader's outfit carrying a large number 1 on a piece of card. Inwardly she groaned at the sight, but she didn't have time even to avert her eyes before she felt a tug on her arm. Tanya pulled her to one side, looking concerned.

"Lauren told me what happened today." She said worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Katy shrugged. "Honestly." She added as Tanya didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure this is the best place for you to be… in your condition?"

"I've only popped in to see how it was going." The teenager protested. "I'm going in a minute."

"She's certainly not shy, is she, your sister?"

"Nope." Katy agreed, watching her sister enjoying herself. "Shy definitely isn't a word I'd use to describe Rox."


	132. Chapter 132

With Katy not having to go to school on Monday morning, she and Ronnie decided to take James for a little walk and pick up some shopping. They were walking by the train station when they caught sight of Phil walking in front of them. After his attempt at getting rid of Michael, which Ronnie had told Katy all about as she was so angry it hadn't worked, the blonde wanted to talk to him.

"_Phil!_" She called after him. Almost reluctantly their cousin turned to look at them. "_I was hoping I'd see you. I think… umm… I think I may have over-reacted a bit the other night._"

"_Yeah, that's one way of putting it._" He agreed gruffly. Katy caught up with them at that moment, and walked on the other side of Ronnie. Phil gave her a look, but Ronnie shrugged.

"It's fine, Katy knows what I asked you to do." She told him seriously. "_Only it's not what you think. It's got nothing to do with Roxy and him and I… I don't like Michael, OK?_"

"_So what was it?_"

"_I think I've got too much time on my hands. I'm just… you know… hours spent sitting in the flat imagining problems when there aren't any and… seeing things that don't exist._" She sighed. "_I don't know, Phil… I'm just… I'm sorry, alright._"

"_Don't get me wrong,_" The man said with a shrug, "_I don't like him either; I think he's a slimy toe-rag. But if I'm gonna kneecap someone I want a bit more of a reason than me not liking him._"

"_I s'pose half this Square would be in wheelchairs if it was down to that._" Ronnie joked weakly.

"_Yeah._" Phil said grimly before walking away. Ronnie opened her mouth to say something more, but changed her mind as he left. She looked blankly down at James in his pram, wrapping her coat around her tightly.

"Hey," Katy said gently, linking her arm through her sister's, "we'll think of something, alright? Besides, with me around all week you won't be on your own."

Ronnie smiled and rested her head against Katy's, closing her eyes. "What would I do without you, eh?"

"I have no idea." The teen grinned.

x

Later that afternoon after a hard day of hanging out with Ronnie and James, watching TV and eating junk, Katy was lying on the sofa, the laptop on her lap flicking through the channels on the television. Roxy let herself in and, after a quick smile to her younger sister, turned to Ronnie seriously.

"_I've sorted you out a babysitter for tonight._" She said settling herself on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Confused, Ronnie looked over her head at Katy, who shrugged, not knowing what Roxy was talking about. "_Tracy's coming over after her shift in the Vic and Jack has already said yes. Well… he will, but Michael's talking to him at the moment._"

"_Michael?_"

"_Yeah._" Roxy said with a smile. "_It's gonna be me and him, you and Jack, Kat and Alfie, dinner… it will be great._"

Ronnie looked far from happy at the arrangements. "What about Katy?"

Roxy glanced over her shoulder at the teenager. "Well it's more a grown-up, couples' thing." She said apologetically. Katy shrugged.

"So why is Tracey coming to babysit?" Ronnie asked being awkward. Roxy exhaled sharply at how difficult her older sister was being.

"Because I thought Katy would have other plans."

"On a Monday night?"

"OK, OK!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "I'll tell Tracey thanks but no thanks and Katy can babysit." On the sofa, Katy rolled her eyes at her evening being mapped out for her. "You'll be alright with James and Amy, won't ya?"

"Course." The teenager shrugged.

"Now… can we get back to the arrangements, please?" Roxy asked. When Ronnie didn't say anything, she continued. "_OK, we'll be in the gym, but Michael's putting up a table in the boxing ring._" The older blonde still didn't look convinced, so her sister went into whining mode. "_Oh, Ronnie, come on, please! Kat and Alfie really need this._"

"_Because?_"

"_Because… they just do and, you know, it is Michael's cousin and he does really care, he does. Honestly, Ron, if you could have seen him… I didn't know he could be like this. Please, for me?_"

All the time Roxy had been trying to convince her, Ronnie had been avoiding her gaze; staring at the floor. Katy could almost see the cogs whirring in her mind as she tried to work out what to do.

"_I thought it was for Kat and Alfie?_" Ronnie replied sarcastically.

"_That's what I said._" Roxy said quickly, backtracking. "_That's what I mean._" She smiled and got off the stool. Giving Katy a quick wiggle of her fingers, she opened the flat door. "_OK?_" she asked before leaving. Ronnie gave her a fleeting smile and a nod.


	133. Chapter 133

As soon as the flat door closed with a clunk, Ronnie's face fell and she turned to her younger sister urgently. Katy sat up, moving the laptop off her lap and onto the coffee table. Ronnie came over and sat beside her, resting her head on Katy's shoulder. The teenager hesitated for a moment, before speaking. She was wary of upsetting her sister.

"Listen, Ron… why exactly do you hate Michael so much? Why did you ask Phil to get rid of him?"

Ronnie looked at her in astonishment, mouth open. "I thought you understood? I thought you hated him too?"

"I do… I hate him for upsetting you. I hate him because since he arrived, you and Jack argue all the time and you and Roxy keep falling out and it's all because of him." Katy told her quickly. "I hate him because he's slowly tearing us all apart."

"And that's why I hate him." Ronnie told her. "I hate him so much. I hate him because he kissed me when I was vulnerable and I feel so guilty for letting him. I hate him because Jack forgave him for it and Roxy didn't care." Katy remembered what had happened after it was revealed that Michael had tried it on with Ronnie. It was true, no one seemed to punish him at all… if anything it was Ronnie who got the blame. "I hate him because he thinks he's God's gift."

"Then we have to find a way to get rid of him." The teenager said. "You have to tell Jack you don't want to go tonight… surely he'll understand. Say you're ill or something."

"He won't believe me… he'll know I'm making an excuse." Ronnie reasoned. Katy shook her head.

"Well I'll say I'm ill then and you need to stay with me."

Ronnie was about to disagree when they heard the key in the flat door and Jack came in. Katy nodded encouragingly at her sister and pulled her best 'ill face'.

"Listen, Jack." Ronnie started. "About tonight –"

Her husband cut her off with a frustrated sigh. "What now, Ron? Why can't you go?"

"It's not me!" Ronnie protested weakly. "It's Katy… she's not well and I can't leave her on her own, especially not with James and Amy."

"Katy… give us a minute." Jack ordered looking over at the teenager. Katy didn't move, knowing full well that as soon as she left her brother-in-law would start shouting at Ronnie. "NOW!" He yelled.

Ronnie nodded at her and, reluctantly, Katy left the room. Inside her bedroom, she pressed her ear up against the door. She needn't have bothered because Jack's voice was loud enough for her to hear anyway.

"I'm not coming." Ronnie said again.

"_You serious? Why?_" There was a moment of silence as he waited for an answer. Ronnie didn't respond so he carried on. "_This is to help out Kat and Alfie, alright, it's got nothing to do with me and Michael… or the gym._"

There was another silence and then Jack spoke again, this time in a softer voice. "_Ron, just talk to me… please. Tell me why you don't want to go and we'll sort this. You know what? I'd have thought you of all people would have understood this; you're a mum._"

Katy breathed in sharply, knowing that Ronnie would have felt that comment like a punch to the stomach.

"_Alright? Kat's a mum._" Jack continued. "_Only difference is, you've still got your baby… she ain't got hers. And I don't know what sort of problems her and Alfie are having but, you know, it don't take mastermind to work out it's gotta have something to do with that. And don't you think it's down to the rest of us, the luckier ones, to help out a bit?_"

Ronnie still hadn't spoken. Katy couldn't see what was happening, but she guessed that Ronnie would be doing something; pretending she wasn't listening to her husband's words. The teenager had to work hard to stop herself going into the living room with her sister.

"_I mean we've got everything, Ron. They've got nothing._" He continued with a sigh. "_You know what? I can't do this anymore… make allowances for you. You know what? I won't make allowances for you anymore. You're gonna be there with me tonight to support Kat and Alfie, alright?_"

Katy heard the door slam and she was instantly at her sister's side, her arm around her.

"You OK?" She asked. Ronnie shook her head. "Listen, alright, it's gonna be fine. I promise."

"How?"

The teenager hesitated. "I dunno…" She admitted finally. "But you better go tonight, 'cos I don't think Jack will deal well with being pushed anymore."

"He's right." Ronnie said slowly. Katy looked confused. "I'm a rubbish mum."

"What?" Katy was gobsmacked. "When did he say that?"

"He didn't have to… I could tell what he meant though."

"Ron… you're not a rubbish mum. Far from it, you're amazing." Katy hesitated before continuing, remembering how Ronnie had reacted the last time she'd called her mum and not wanting to upset her. "Listen, you're like a mum to me… you're better than my mum ever was. You're a far better mum than Glenda was to you and Roxy."

Ronnie didn't say anything. She just stared ahead of her as though she hadn't heard what Katy had said.

"Honestly… James is so lucky to have you as his mum."

"Thank you." The blonde whispered hoarsely. Her voice was barely audible, but Katy just about made the words out.

"Now go and get yourself sorted or you're going to be late."


	134. Chapter 134

When Ronnie had left to meet the others at the boxing gym, Katy yawned and settled down in front of the TV. She'd settled Amy in her own bed and James was asleep in his cot. There wasn't anything worth watching on, so the teenager put on a DVD.

Barely taking any noticed of it, she jumped as the flat door opened and Jack walked in. He seemed to be in a foul mood and slammed the door behind him. Katy glanced at her watch and was shocked how much time had passed.

"Shhh!" she hissed. "You'll wake the babies." Jack didn't answer; just shot her a look of pure annoyance. "Where's Ron?"

"You tell me. She vanished from the gym and never came back." He replied.

"Have you phoned her?"

"Oh… that's a good idea, why didn't I think of that?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Oh, piss off." Katy snapped going into her bedroom and slamming the door. She'd forgotten about her niece and nephew, but luckily neither of them woke up. The teenager was so angry with her brother-in-law; he was so insensitive to Ronnie… she was clearly upset and he just had a go at her. Katy's already rocky relationship with Jack was almost at breaking point. He just made Katy want to scream.

"_Ron, where are ya?_" She heard him say and guessed that he was trying to get hold of her. Then the flat went quiet. Katy rolled her eyes annoyed at how Jack acted with her sister.

She pulled out her mobile and sent Ronnie a text. '_What's happened?_ x_xx_'

'_I'm on my way home. x_' Flashed up on Katy's screen within seconds of her sending Ronnie the message.

The teenager sighed and waited until she head her bedroom door opening. Ronnie closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bed, hugging her sister tightly. She started to cry and Katy stroked her hair gently, getting steadily angrier and angrier.

"What happened?" She whispered eventually.

"It was just so awkward… Kat and Alfie didn't want to be there… I didn't want to be there… Jack kept glaring at me…" She sighed and shuddered as her tears caught in her throat. "Then I went to the toilet because I needed to get away… Jack came looking for me but he sounded so angry and I couldn't face another fight."

"Oh… Ron…" Katy murmured, still stroking her hair.

"Then I got your message and knew I had to pull myself together. So I left, but I ran into Michael and I panicked. Seeing him there… just me and him, alone, in the dark… I panicked and said he could never know why I hated him and then I ran."

Katy shushed her sister, until she finally fell into a fitful sleep on top of the covers. With her sister on one side of her and her small niece on the other, the teenager had to lie very still. But she doubted very much whether she would get much sleep that night. Her mind was whirring, trying to work out what was going on and how she could fix it.

Carefully, after what seemed like an age of lying awake thinking, Katy shuffled straight down the bed so that she was able to get up. Silently, she pulled her boots on and opened the bedroom door. Luckily she was still fully dressed so she didn't have to mess around finding clothes.

Grabbing her jacket, the teenager slipped out of the flat, pulling the door closed but not actually shutting it so that it didn't make its loud clunking noise and wake anyone up. Then she went out into the cold night air and made her way across the Square.

In her mind Katy knew exactly what she was going to do. Recently she'd been losing her temper and snapping more and more; first with Shaye in Newport and then with Bethany a couple of days ago, and it was starting to worry her. She got to a point where she wasn't thinking straight.

She was so focused on what she was doing that she wasn't looking where she was going and tripped on the curb, falling hard and scraping her knees. She ripped the knees of her jeans, but didn't feel a thing. As she was dusting herself off, she realised that she was standing outside Dot and Jims and that there was a light on in the front room. This realisation made her forget what she was doing and she stood, looking at the lit window wondering why either of them would be up at this time.

Concerned, especially after what Carol had said the other day, Katy considered knocking on the door. Then she remembered that it was half past two in the morning and she would probably do more harm than good and scare the elderly couple half to death. The teenager had just made up her mind to walk away, when the net curtains twitched and she saw Dot staring out at her. Hesitating as the old woman disappeared, Katy watched as the front door opened and Dot beckoned her over.

"Whatever are you doing wandering about at this time?" Dot asked in a low, anxious voice. "It's not safe."

"I…" Katy stopped. Suddenly she felt totally lost and didn't really know why she was out in the middle of the night.

"Come in." Dot said with a sigh, seeing the confusion passing across her young friend's face. "I'll make us a nice cup of tea."


	135. Chapter 135

"Thanks." Katy said with a smile as Dot handed her a mug of hot tea. She took a sip, immediately regretting it as the boiling liquid met her throat. She winced, but didn't say anything.

"Now… are you going to tell me why you're wandering about in the street at night all on your own?" Dot asked, raising her eyebrows and leaning forwards slightly.

"Are you gonna to tell me why you're sitting in here at quarter to three in the morning? And don't give me all that about old people not sleeping much." Katy shot back smiling. Dot considered her for a moment before her face split into a smile and she laughed.

"You first." She said, sipping at her tea. Katy sighed and put down her mug. Jack was Dot's step-son and she didn't want to say too much about him in case it upset her. "Just spit it out, Katy Mitchell, there ain't much in this world that can shock me."

"It's just… Jack keeps having a go at Ronnie… she's having a really tough time; I think she might be suffering from depression after James… and he just keeps shouting at her." Katy said quickly, trying to get it all out at once. "And Michael Moon is everywhere and he gives me the creeps… he kissed Ronnie a while back but if anything everyone blamed Ron."

"So… what's that got to do with you wandering the streets?" Dot asked in confusion.

"I was going to go the boxing gym." Katy admitted. "I was so angry… I dunno… I was probably gonna do something really stupid."

"In what way?"

"I dunno… break something… break in… do something to get back at them both. They don't take any notice of me; Jack doesn't even want me there most of the time." Saying it out loud made her plan sound stupid. She was embarrassed that she had told Dot, thinking the woman would be disappointed in her.

Dot was looking at the teenager with a curious look on her face. As they sat in silence, Katy tried to work out what the look was. It wasn't disapproval or disappointment or shock… if anything it was pity.

"I know what it's like when you feel like you're helpless to do anything." The woman said suddenly, making Katy jump. "When you feel like you're invisible and no one takes you seriously."

"What's happened, Mrs B?" Katy asked realising that they were no longer talking about her. The old woman held a hand to her face as tears started leaking from her eyes and running down her wrinkled cheeks. Alarmed, Katy moved towards her, but Dot waved her away.

"Oh… take no notice of me. I'm just a silly old woman." She said. Katy ignored her and wrapped Dot in a tight hug. After a couple of seconds, Dot relaxed and hugged Katy back. Then she pulled away, straightening her clothes and sniffing.

"What happened?" Katy repeated, refusing to let it drop.

"You must know, about Whitney?" Dot said slowly, watching the teenager's face. For a split second, Katy's eyes glazed over as she realised with horror that with everything else going on she had almost forgotten about her friend. "I thought you would. Everyone else knows, except us."

"Mrs B… I'm sure they didn't want to worry you."

"I expect you're right." Dot agreed with a nod. "But it would have been nice to have been told, anyway, instead of being forgotten."

"I doubt you were forgotten." Katy assured her. "But you know what they're like, they just don't think, any of them."

"Huh!" Dot said with a sniff. "That's true… but being old… you're forgotten and ignored. No one thinks you're capable of doing anything."

"Listen… Carol was worried about you after you found out. She asked me to go and check on you in the launderette because she didn't want you to think they were checking up on you, but she wanted to make sure you were alright." Katy told her. She doubted that she was supposed to have told Dot that but if it made the old woman feel better, then it was worth Carol being annoyed at her.

"Really?"

"I promise that's the truth." Katy assured her.

"Well…" Dot smiled, unable to stop herself. "You'd better be getting off back home. All hell will break loose if they realise you're not there again."

Katy nodded, knowing that Dot was right. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine… don't you worry about me. You just make sure you're alright. And things will work out, you know."

"Thanks."

"Someone once told me that I talk a lot of sense." Dot said, recalling the words Katy had said to her several months ago. "But I think it's the person who told me that who talks more sense."

The teenager grinned and followed Dot out into the hall. On the doorstep she gave her another tight hug.

"Next time you feel like you're invisible, you just give me a shout and I'll come and talk some sense into you, alright?" She said squeezing the old woman's hand.

Dot smiled at her. "You're a good girl, Katy."

"Some of the time…" Katy agreed. Then she turned and walked back to the flat, far calmer than she had been when she left it.


	136. Chapter 136

_**Hi guys! Please comment and let me know what you're thinking about the story! They're appreciated very much! Hope you're enjoying it!**_

Next morning Katy was woken by the sound of a door slamming. Blearily she looked around. Amy and Ronnie were both gone and the teenager was lying, still fully dressed, in the middle of her double bed. Yawning, Katy stretched and rolled out of bed.

"Morning, sweetie." Ronnie said with a smile. She ruffled Katy's already messy hair and leant towards her to give her a kiss on the cheek. Katy stopped her, holding up her hand and ran to the bathroom. When she returned, Ronnie looked sympathetic. "Morning sickness still bad?"

Katy nodded and sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. Ronnie poured her a glass of juice which the teenager took gratefully, slurping at it to get the taste out of her mouth. Jack appeared, dressed for work. Katy barely glanced at him as he came into the kitchen, still angry at the way he treated Ronnie.

"_You got any plans for today?_" Jack asked Ronnie as she started making up James' formula. Katy barged past him to get the juice out of the fridge. He turned and glared at her as she did so, but didn't say anything.

"_No, not really._" Ronnie replied vaguely.

"_When can you sign him up for one of them baby aqua classes?_" Jack asked lightly, obviously trying to act normal to make up for the night before.

"_I'm not sure._"

"_You should look into it. I reckon he'd love that, you know how he likes his baths._" Ronnie didn't reply, concentrating on putting the bottle back together for her son. "_I mean, there is loads of stuff you can do. You don't have to stay in._"

"_I know._"

"_So, we gonna talk about last night? The meal fiasco._" He asked, standing close behind her. Ronnie said nothing, but stood still her hand clutching the bottle so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "_No, thought not._" He took a bite out of his toast, grabbed his jacket and headed out of the door. "_See you later._"

When he had left, Ronnie turned to look at her sister. Katy sighed and stood up, taking the bottle out of the blonde's hands. She propelled Ronnie towards her bedroom firmly.

"You go and have a shower, get dressed and I'll get James sorted." She said determinedly. "Don't argue, just do it."

Ronnie did as she was told and Katy gently lifted James from his cot. She smiled at him as he started drinking from the bottle. She looked at his tiny features so perfect and wondered whether she'd be able to cope with a baby of her own.

While Ronnie was still in the shower, Katy went to get dressed still thinking. She thought about it so hard that she started to panic. Her chest got tighter and tighter and she had to sit down and take several deep breaths before she passed out.

Katy heard the shower stopping and made up her mind in an instant. She left her mobile on her bed and ran out of the flat, closing the door behind her. She needed space to think and, as much as she knew Ronnie needed her, for once Katy knew she had to think about herself and what she needed.

As she walked quickly past the Brannings' house, she remembered that it was Lauren's birthday. She assumed that Tanya would be at the Salon so she went there, hoping that she could pass on a message for her to the birthday girl.

There was no need, however, as Lauren herself was sitting at one of the 'stations' moaning at her mother. As Katy went into the Salon, she passed Vanessa sitting in a chair, looking annoyed. The blonde smiled at the teenager widely as she passed.

"Alright, Branning." Katy said cheerfully, giving her friend a one armed hug. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, babe." Lauren said grinning back. "Have you come to help me escape?"

Katy laughed. "If you need me to. But shouldn't you be in History? With me and you away, Perry's getting an easy ride."

"Shh, you!" Tanya said laughing. "My eldest daughter is having a day off for her birthday and she's going to enjoy it, understand?"

Lauren nodded and rolled her eyes at Katy who grinned and dropped into one of the swivelling chairs. She watched as Tanya worked on Lauren, putting pale pink streaks into her long, dark hair. Lauren let her do it without complaining.

When she was finished, Tanya went to scrutinise the job Jodie had done on Vanessa's nails critically, unable to resist getting a dig in. Lauren glanced at Katy, who had to turn away so that the woman wouldn't see her grinning. Jodie did her best to convince Lauren that she would look good with little stars on her nails, but Lauren refused.

"_Lauren,_" Vanessa said, trying to sound important, "_can I just check, your dad's asked me to get fillet stakes for tonight, but I thought you'd probably prefer chicken. So I'm just going to stuff some breasts and bake them in cheese._"

Katy and Lauren exchanged a glance, which they also shared with Tanya. Lauren had no intention of eating with either of her parents, she just hadn't got round to telling them, yet.

"_That's very sweet, but Lauren's having dinner with us._" Tanya said, putting her hands on Lauren's shoulders. The teenager looked at Katy with wide eyes and a rabbit-in-headlights expression.

"_Oh, I thought you were coming to us?_" Vanessa said confused. Lauren looked incredibly awkward.

"_Thought wrong then._" Tanya told her smugly.

Katy shot Lauren an encouraging look and nodded. "_Umm… actually…_" The birthday girl started. "_OK, this is really awkward… I do want to spend time with all of you, but really I just want to be with my friends._"

"_Oh…_" Tanya said disappointed. "_Well why don't you have your friends over to ours?_"

"'_Cos Abi's ill and I don't want her missing out._" Lauren said wincing. "_And besides, you've got Oscar so I thought if I had it at Dad's, then if Abi's still in bed we can pop up and see her, if that's OK?_"

"_Yeah, course it is darlin'._" Vanessa said, grinning broadly. Tanya was looking down at the comb in her hand, distracting herself from the conversation. "_17, eh? Makes you feel old, doesn't it? Before you know it you'll be a granny._"

Katy felt so sorry for Tanya, who looked heartbroken that Lauren didn't want to spend her birthday with her. She almost looked as though she was going to cry.

"Right, things to do, people to see!" Vanessa said with a broad grin. She wiggled her fingers at the teenagers and Tanya as she left. Katy had to turn away again to stop herself giggling. Tanya put an arm round her and ruffled her hair.

"Now… can I interest you in a haircut, Miss Mitchell?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Now you mention it, I could do with having my fringe trimmed." Katy said looking at the woman through the hair that was falling over her eyes. Tanya grinned and pushed her into a chair.

"Jodie… could you go and organise the stock cupboard for me?" She asked as she picked up a pair of scissors and a comb. "It's looking messy again."

The girl pouted but did as she was asked. When she had gone, Tanya rolled her eyes and sighed. Lauren grinned, swivelling the chair she'd sat in backwards and forwards.

"Now… I hope those sisters of yours are taking care of you." Tanya said seriously, looking into Katy's eyes as she started cutting bits off the teenager's fringe.

"There's a lot of stuff going on." Katy said dismissively. "They've got a lot on their plates."

"That's not an excuse, darlin'." Tanya told her firmly. She glanced down at Katy's stomach where, in the position she was in, the bump was clearly visible. "How pregnant are you?"

"Almost 13 weeks." Katy said quietly.

"Blimey! I wasn't that big until I was nearly twice that with Lauren." Tanya said bluntly. Lauren pulled a face and Katy blushed slightly.

"Mum!" The birthday girl exclaimed.

"What? It's true! Katy's got a big bump, that's all."

When Tanya had finished, Katy hurriedly excused herself, feeling guilty for leaving Ronnie alone without telling her where she was going. She hoped Ronnie wouldn't go too crazy at her.


	137. Chapter 137

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" Ronnie snapped as Katy approached the bench in the gardens in the middle of the Square. Ricky was just walking away and Katy wondered what they'd been talking about, but she was too nervous to ask.

"Sorry… I had to pop to the Salon… its Lauren's birthday and Tanya said she'd trim my fringe." Katy waffled.

"Well… let's get back to the flat. It's nearly lunchtime and I need to feed James." Her sister said.

Katy nodded and followed as Ronnie headed out of the gardens. She sighed and looked over her shoulder. She thought she'd seen… but that was impossible. Hesitantly, Katy stopped and looked behind her more carefully.

"What?" Ronnie asked. Katy shook her head.

"I'm seeing things… probably just tired." The teenager told her with a smile. "Let's go."

No sooner had they reached the flat than Roxy appeared, nagging at Ronnie. Katy sighed and went inside, putting the kettle on.

"_Of course I'm going out._" Ronnie snapped. "_I've just been out!_"

"_You were sitting less than 50 yards away. I saw you out the window._" Roxy replied quickly.

"_Are you spying on me now?_"

"_Ron, listen. Why don't we make an afternoon of it, yeah?_" Roxy suggested. "_I will go and get Amy from nursery and we can be in Southend in like an hour._"

"_Southend?_" Ronnie sounded outraged by the suggestion. Katy on the other hand liked the idea of it. She loved the sea and she thought getting away might do them all good.

"_Yeah!_"

"_Do you have any idea how much stuff I have to take when I go out?_" Ronnie asked, lifting James out of his pram. "_I mean, going to Southend is like trying to climb Everest._"

"_Ron, this isn't you, you need to snap out of this!_" Roxy reasoned with her older sister. Katy came to sit on the arm of the sofa, looking hopefully at her sister as well.

"_That's what you think I need, is it?_"

"_Yeah!_"

"_To make you and Jack happy?_"

"_You want to dive him away?_" Roxy asked. "_Do you? Because look, you've got everything you've ever wanted! You should be happy._"

"_I'm going to go and make his feed._" Ronnie turned her back on her sisters and walked into the kitchen.

"_Fine._" Roxy shouted. "_You go and make his feed then. Alright? But I'll tell you what, I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go and check if my boyfriend has finished unpacking yet. Yes, oh well done! Thank you for taking an interest in my life. Michael's moved in, we're very happy. We were supposed to be doing stuff together this afternoon, but quite frankly I would rather see you with a smile on your face. Ron, come on, please. Southend. I'll buy the fish and chips._"

All through Roxy's rant, Ronnie had stood stoney faced just listening to her. As the younger blonde finished speaking and smiled at her older sister hopefully, Ronnie looked as if she was fighting some internal battle.

"_I wish I could, but I can't. I really can't._" She said quickly. Roxy's face fell, as did Katy's behind her. "_And I am happy for you. I am._"

Without speaking, Roxy walked out, closing the flat door behind her. Ronnie buried her face in James' and sighed.

"Ron…" Katy started.

"Don't, Katy, alright." Ronnie snapped turning on her. "Don't start. I don't need this right now… just… leave me alone. Leave us alone!"

Katy clenched her jaw, feeling her eyes burning with tears.

"D'you know what?" She snapped, feeling her blood boiling. "I've tried so hard to be there for you, so hard. But it's really not easy, Ron. I've got to start thinking about me and my baby."

"Really?" Ronnie's eyes flashed. "All you ever do is think about yourself."

Katy laughed cynically, slamming the television remote that was in her hand down on the breakfast bar. "Alright, I'm out of here."

She stormed to her bedroom and started throwing things into a bag. After a couple of minutes Ronnie appeared in the doorway.

"Where are you going?"

Katy shrugged and picked up her phone charger.

"Sweetie, I'm…" Ronnie started to speak. Katy guessed she was about to apologise but couldn't bring herself to.

"You're what?" Katy stopped and turned to face her. She looked absolutely furious.

"I'm going to feed James." Ronnie said turning away and leaving the room.

Her sister felt as though she'd just been punched in the chest. She took a deep breath and carried on putting her stuff into the bag. If Ronnie couldn't be bothered to ask her to stay, again, then Katy knew when she wasn't wanted. Jack would be happy she'd gone.

"Laters, then." She said stalking out of her room.

"Where are you going?" Ronnie asked again.

"Dunno… Lauren's?" Katy shrugged. "Not that you care."

"Please…" Ronnie started again. Katy waited for her to speak, thinking that maybe if she didn't interrupt her sister she'd be able to say what she meant. "Look after yourself."

Katy nodded and left, slamming the door behind her. She couldn't even express to herself how she felt at that moment. It felt as though there was a knife stabbing her in the heart. She could hardly breathe. She just managed to get herself to the bench in the middle of the Square before she passed out.


	138. Chapter 138 Ronnie

It took almost half an hour for the realisation of what had just happened to hit Ronnie. Suddenly she realised that Katy was gone; really, properly gone. She covered her mouth with her hands in horror and started sobbing, collapsing onto the sofa. James, as though he could sense what was happening started crying too.

"Shh… shh…" Ronnie whispered, pulling herself together and stroking the baby's head gently. "There's no point crying, sweetie. We'll just have to find her, yes?" She started grabbing things and throwing them about, looking for her mobile and keys. Then she strapped her son into his pram and left the flat.

She crossed the Square, heading straight for Lauren's house. She banged on the door hard, shouting for the teenager to answer.

"What's up?" Lauren asked wrenching the door open. "Abi's in bed ill."

"Sorry… is my sister here?"

"Katy? Nah… I haven't seen her since this morning. She seemed a little distracted then, what's happened?"

"We… we had an argument." Ronnie said shrugging, trying to play it down. "She left and said she was going to stay with you."

"I ain't seen her." Lauren replied, biting her thumbnail anxiously. With Whitney missing already, the teenager really didn't need extra worries about Katy as well.

The blonde woman forced herself to smile. "She'll turn up; you know what she's like… she's just in a mood and trying to get back at me."

Lauren watched as Ronnie turned and wheeled the pram away. Neither of them believed what the woman had said, but neither of them wanted to admit that fact to themselves either.

Ronnie turned the corner and found herself face-to-face with Michael. She smiled at him weakly and tried to pass, but he stopped her.

"_Hello._" He said. Ronnie smiled again but before she could move away he continued. "_And? Gonna explain yourself, are you?_"

She looked at the floor, desperate to get away from him. She could still remember the night he'd tried it on with her; his expression, his hands, his lips. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory, but his voice forced its way into her head.

"_You said that I could never understand why you've been giving me such a hard time. See, that sort of thing… that just rolls around in the head. You know what I reckon?_" He asked, looking intently at her. Ronnie tried not to meet his gaze, keeping the pram safely between them. She could feel his eyes on her, like some kind of magnetic force and found that she had to look up. "_I reckon you must fancy me and you must want me for yourself. No?_"

"_Leave me alone._" Ronnie begged. "Please, I told you that night… I love Jack."

"If you hadn't told him about our kiss… I reckon we could have had something beautiful together." Michael told her, reaching out and stroking her hair. Ronnie flinched. "See… you and me… we could have been special."

"Stop!" Ronnie away from him. He'd moved so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek. "Just stop!"

"_Don't be hard on yourself, Ronnie. Better women than you have tried to resist._" He told her as she walked away from him. The blonde stopped taking a deep breath. She had to find a way to get him off her back.

"_D'you want to know what my problem is with you?_" She asked in a hard voice.

"_Yeah._" He said with a grin, as though he expected her to come out with some stupid, superficial reason.

"_It's Tommy. Tommy; your son._"

He looked momentarily stunned, but regained his composure in an instant. "_Alright, this should be good. You have a problem with me because my son is dead?_"

"_No, no, no. I have a problem with you because you didn't support Kat._" Ronnie spat at him, all her built up rage and fear boiling over. "_Because you have no idea what she went through… what she's still going through now._"

"_What and you can?_" Ronnie was shocked to see that, behind his eyes, Michael looked genuinely hurt. "_How dare you? Who do you think you are? You think for one second that Kat and Alfie would appreciate me wading in, and weeping and wailing? Wringing my hands and giving her a shoulder to cry on? You are screwed in the head._"

"_Am I?_" Ronnie whispered.

"_You, who still have your husband, who still have your child._" He said fiercely. Ronnie looked down, knowing that he was right; that she shouldn't have said anything at all. Michael's tone changed, becoming quieter, more solemn. "_You talk about pain, you talk about Kat's pain? You're an insult to that pain._"

Ronnie felt her eyes filling with tears as he turned and walked away quickly. She felt the tears spilling down over her cheeks and took several deep, steadying breaths. He was right; Katy was right; Roxy was right; Jack was right; they were all right. She needed to sort herself out.

Without thinking properly, Ronnie turned and made her way back to the flat. Jack was in when she got back, sitting in his armchair pulling on his shoes.

"_You been out?_" He asked as though he wasn't bothered either way.

"_Yeah, we just went to the park_… Katy's run away. We were looking for her."

"Why?" Jack looked annoyed at the news. "Seriously, that girl needs to be taught a lesson. She treats everyone like she's so much better than them."

"No… this was my fault. It was all my fault." Ronnie said quietly, feeling the tears building up in her eyes again. Jack sighed and carried on pulling on his shoes. "_Are you going out?_"

"_Just a poker night with the boys. Didn't think you'd mind._" He said, not looking as though he bothered whether she minded or not. Ronnie clenched the handles of the pram more tightly.

"_Just I was thinking of going out myself and I thought you could look after James._" She said, finally settling on a plan in her mind.

"_Really? What sort of game are you playing, Ron?_" Jack said annoyed. "_'Cos one minute you want to stay in, the next you want to go out… the only thing I can think of is that you want to wind me up. Is that it?_"

Ronnie shook her head, wondering how he could be so self-centred, so unsympathetic. "_This has got nothing to do with you._"

"_There we have it._" Jack said raising his arms as though she'd just proved his point, whatever that point might be. "_Your problems; nothing to do with me. No matter what I try to do… get close to you? You just push me away._"

"_D'you know what, forget it._"

"_Oh don't worry. I already have._" Jack told her, getting his jacket off the hook and opening the front door. "_You need to get a grip, Ronnie. For James' sake._" A single tear rolled down her cheek as the door slammed. She looked down at the baby in the pram.

"That's why I have to go; for James." She whispered. Her husband had made her mind up for her. She called Roxy and asked her to come and watch the baby for a few moments while she popped out.

"_Hey._" Roxy said gently, standing behind her older sister and putting an arm round her waist.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Ronnie said.

Roxy answered before the older woman had even finished talking. "It's alright."

"Rox… Katy's gone." Ronnie said taking a deep breath and blurting it out.

"What? Gone where?" Roxy asked, confused. Ronnie shrugged.

"After you left… we had an argument… She packed some stuff and stormed off. She said she was going to Lauren's, but I went round to check and Lauren hasn't seen her since this morning."

"Are you sure? You know what Katy's like; she's always storming off." Roxy tried to keep them both calm.

"Yeah… but I've never seen her like this… she was so upset, so angry. I tried to apologise, I tried to ask her not to go… but I couldn't and then she went."

"I'll go and look for her."

"No!" Ronnie grabbed her sister's arm and stopped her from leaving. "This is all my fault, I'll go. _Would you keep an eye on James for me?_"

"_Yeah, course. Amy's with Christian, anyway._"

Ronnie hesitated for a moment before turning to her sister and almost whispering. "_Roxy…_"

"_Yeah?_"

"_You know I love you, don't you?_"

Roxy looked concerned for a couple of seconds at the serious tone her sister had used. Then she grinned and started laughing.

"_Shut up!_ Just go and find that girl!"

Ronnie smiled and stroked her hair before leaving the room. She looked back in the doorway, watching Roxy fussing over the baby. She took her jacket off the peg, looked around and picked up her purse, leaving her mobile and keys on the breakfast bar.

Leaving the flat, she walked straight past the Minute Mart and out of the Square without looking back once.


	139. Chapter 139

_**Lyrics in this chapter are Rihanna – Fading :)**_

Katy had come round after a few minutes. Groggily, she sat up on the bench and shook her head, clearing the mist from it. Fainting again had given her a massive shock and she realised that she was being a complete idiot. She was in no fit state to be without her sisters.

Making up her mind, she stood up slowly, ignoring the rush of blood to her head and gathering her things. Before Katy could go home, she needed to get her thoughts together properly. Slowly, she wandered over to the café, ordered a mug of tea from Marie and settled herself at a table at the back of the room.

Buried deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice the hours slipping away. Marie obviously felt sorry for the girl, looking so troubled, so she didn't attempt to move her on. All of a sudden, Katy realised that it was dark outside and rushed to grab her things. She shot a fleeting smile at the woman behind the counter and made her way quickly across the Square to the flat.

"Thank goodness!" Roxy said sighing as Katy let herself in. The blonde threw her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly. Then she stood back and looked over her shoulder for their older sister. "Where's Ron?"

"I dunno." Katy shrugged. "I haven't seen her since lunchtime."

"She didn't find you then?"

Katy shook her head. "No? Why?"

"Well, she came looking for you ages ago. She left me here with James and I really need to go and get Amy."

"Yeah, go." Katy said distractedly waving her hands at her sister. She dropped her things on the sofa and moved past Roxy to pick James out of his cot. "Hello little man."

Roxy hesitated in front of the open front door. "You know Ronnie really loves you, don't you?"

Katy sighed and then nodded. "I know."

"And so do I, yeah?"

"Yeah. Rox…" The blonde poked her head back into the flat as her sister called after her. "Love you."

x

"Ronnie?" Jack yelled as he came into the flat. Katy jumped. She'd fallen asleep with James in her arms. Carefully she stood up, cradling her sleeping nephew and walked into the living room. "Where is she?"

"I dunno?" Katy said, still angry with him. "Roxy said she went out about seven and neither of us have seen her since."

He pulled a face and bashed his way into his and Ronnie's bedroom. Katy rolled her eyes and followed him, gently putting James in his cot. He snuffled and wriggled slightly, but didn't wake. Then she stamped out of the room.

"What are you trying to do?" He snapped, following her out and closing the door behind them. "Trying to wake the baby?"

"Course I'm not! What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem?" Jack demanded, jabbing his finger into his chest. "My problem? You're the one that encourages Ronnie… you're the one who's let her think she's being hard done by, making her feel sorry for herself."

"If you weren't being such a totally insensitive…" She broke off, so angry she couldn't speak. "She's ill, Jack, can't you see that? She's ill and she needs help."

"Ill? She's not ill? She just wants attention and you give it to her!" He yelled. At this point they were only centimetres apart, so close that they were touching. They looked at each other, both breathing heavily after being so angry.

Jack reached down and pulled Katy towards him, kissing her passionately. She threw her arms round his neck and kissed him back. After a couple of seconds, Katy realised what she was doing and pushed him away, thumping him hard in the chest.

"What the HELL!" She screamed, absolutely disgusted with herself. Jack looked equally horrified and sat on the sofa, putting his head in his hands.

"You're hormonal… you're pregnant… women do weird things when they're pregnant." He said in a panicked voice. She turned on him, her eyes flashing with fury.

"Oh no." She said in threateningly calm voice. "There is no way you're blaming this completely on me. You started it."

He looked at her in disbelief. "Don't act like a child, Katy. I started it? Grow up."

"Grow up?" Katy punched him on the shoulder. "You are so… Ronnie deserves so much better than you! She deserves so much better than me."

"You're not going to tell her?" Jack looked at the teenager pleadingly. "I love her; more than anything."

"Of course I'm not going to tell her." Katy said with a sigh. "I'd never hurt her like that. But you need to start acting like you love her."

Katy felt horrible; guiltier than she'd ever felt in her entire life and she'd done some pretty awful things before. She couldn't even bare to look at her brother-in-law. Instead she turned away, rubbing her arms and picking up her coat from where she'd left it on the sofa when she'd come in earlier.

"I'm gonna look for her." She said quietly. "I need to find her."

As Katy headed out, she poked her headphones into her ears, putting her iPod on shuffle. The teenager couldn't believe what she'd done. After everything her sister had done for her, she'd repaid her by kissing her husband. The beat kicked in on the song as Katy crossed the Square, trying to work out where to look first.

_You say you love me,_

_But they feel, like words to me._

_Well this just ain't working._

_Stop thinking, you can run over me._

_Drifting, settling, off to a foreign place._

_If I can't see what's in front of me, it's a mystery,_

_But then apparently things just ain't the same,_

_And I'm ready for change._

_Go on, be gone, bye bye, so long._

_Can't ya see that your fading, fading, fading,_

_Away, away, away, away._

_I opened up my eyes and I finally realise,_

_Today, today, it's too late._

_You're fading away._


	140. Chapter 140

The next morning, after Katy had spent three hours wandering around looking for her sister the night before, she woke to the sound of the flat door slamming. Before she could get out of bed, she heard Jack's angry voice.

"_Ronnie, where the…?_"

"_No, No._" Roxy said urgently. "_Is there still no news?_"

Katy came into the living room, staring wide-eyed at her sister. She chewed on her thumbnail, her heart dropping as she realised that it was the wrong sister.

"_I thought you were her._" Jack said, echoing Katy's disappointment.

"_She's killed herself, hasn't she?_" Roxy said, tears filling her eyes. Katy sighed and shook her head.

"Don't be silly. She would never do something like that." The teenager said impatiently.

"_She's dead._" Roxy ignored her sister and started hyperventilating, wringing her hands and looking around wildly.

"Roxy!" Katy snapped; her sister's panicking making her feel worse about the situation. "Ronnie isn't dead… we just need to work out where she is. Maybe we should call the police?"

There was a knock at the door, preventing anyone from replying. Jack opened it and Michael walked in. Roxy threw herself into his arms and he held her tightly stroking her hair. Katy narrowed her eyes slightly, but James started crying in the bedroom and his younger Aunt went to pick him up; cuddling him and kissing the top of his head gently.

"_I'm not calling the police, alright?_" Jack snapped as Katy handed her nephew to Roxy. "_She'll be back._"

Katy perched beside her sister, putting one hand on her leg, as though she thought that if she didn't Roxy would disappear as well.

"_Oh really? You think that, do you?_"

"_Let's go and have another look._" Michael suggested. "_Come on._" He said to Jack, before turning to Roxy. "_You stay here with James._"

Jack sighed and shook his head in annoyance. "_No! I'm not leaving James. She's probably gone off somewhere to teach me a lesson._"

"_Oh why would she do something like that, Jack?_" Roxy snapped. The man shot a fleeting look at his teenage sister-in-law who shifted uncomfortably, looking at the baby on her sister's lap. There was no way Ronnie could have found out… besides, she'd left before Katy and Jack had kissed.

"_I don't know!_" He shouted. "_Give me him._"

He took James off Roxy, talking to him as he did so and shooting Katy a furious look. The teenager stood up, frustrated.

"We can't just sit around doing nothing. I'm gonna get dressed and then I'm going looking for her… Rox, you coming?"

Her sister nodded. "Yeah… ring me when you're ready… I'll meet you out there."

x

Katy met up with Roxy and they tried to think where Ronnie could have gone. In the end, they phoned Phil and arranged to meet him at the flat. Jack was far from happy to see their hard-man cousin at the door. He sighed exasperatedly.

"Look… Phil's gonna see what he can do." Roxy told him, noticing the look on his face and automatically getting defensive.

"Why?" Jack fumed.

"Because she's our sister, Phil's cousin. She's a Mitchell and Mitchells stick together." Katy told him firmly. Beside her, Roxy nodded and even Phil inclined his head slightly.

"_She ain't a Mitchell anymore._" Jack said, almost calmly. "_She's a Branning, she's my wife; I'm dealing with it._"

"_No, you're not._" Roxy followed him into the living room frustrated and angry. "_No, you're not! You're not doing anything, Jack!_"

Katy and Phil exchanged a glance and followed them into the living room.

"_My sister could be out there anywhere, hit by a car, whatever?_" Roxy continued emotionally. Images were flooding her mind, the very worse possibilities that she could imagine; Ronnie lying in a ditch, injured, alone… dying. Jack had his head in his hands, but the teenager could work out whether he was upset or annoyed. "_I know her better than any of you lot, alright? And I am terrified._"

Katy knew that Roxy was right; she had known Ronnie for a lot longer than their younger sister had, but Katy didn't have to like that realisation. She thought about saying something in support of her sister, or on the other hand to illustrate how hurt she was by the last comment.

"_Phil, please, you've got to help us find her, OK?_" Roxy pleaded. The hard-man looked at Jack, wondering what he was going to say about the request. Katy looked between the men. Roxy pulled a face.

"Please, Phil. You have to help." Katy begged. She put one hand on her bump and looked at him with wide eyes, hoping that playing the sympathy card would work. "I need her here."

Phil raised his eyebrows at Jack.

"_Do what you like._" He said quietly, shaking his head. "_I just want her back. I want to know she's safe, back here where she belongs. She's never left James since he was born. I mean, why now? What's she playing at?_"

"Right… I'll get onto some of my contacts." Phil said, pulling out his mobile. "Get the word out… see how many people we can get looking out."

"Well… do it then!" Katy snapped, sitting on the sofa and chewing on her thumbnail. Roxy said beside her shaking.

"Alright!" Phil barked, glaring at her. "You alright mate? Yeah… can you spread the word about my cousin… yeah, she's missing… Ronnie Mitchell. _She's 36, five foot nine and blonde hair._"

"_Green top and black leggings._" Roxy whispered.

"_She's got a green top on and black leggings… No… No, just her purse._"

"_This is a waste of time._" Jack muttered, rubbing his face with his hands.

"_You never know!_" Michael said, trying to stay positive. For some reason that just irritated Katy and she turned to face him, glaring ferociously. Michael looked confused, but didn't push the point.

"_No, I know._" Jack said.

"_Alright, cheers._" Phil said, hanging up the phone. "_Well, they're going to keep an eye out for her. What good it'll do, I don't know._"

"_It's something._" Roxy said tearfully. "_Thank you. Have we tried the hospitals?_"

"_Yeah, first thing… nothing._" Jack told her.

"_Can we try again, please?_"

"_You know what this is all about, don't ya?_" Jack told them, suddenly steely. "_It's her attention seeking._"

"_Jack._" Roxy looked at him in disbelief. "_I'm the attention seeker, yeah?_ And then it's Katy… Ronnie's the least attention seeking out of the three of us."

Katy nodded. "It's true… she's the one who tells us to pull ourselves together, to deal with the situation."

"_I'd know if something was wrong, alright? I'd know._" Ronnie's husband said firmly.

"_So you've got no idea why she'd just take off?_" Phil asked distrustfully. If Katy hadn't known better she'd think her cousin was pointing the finger of blame squarely at Jack. Her brother-in-law obviously felt the same as he turned aggressively to the man. Then he sighed and flapped his hands.

"_I dunno… I mean, she's been all over the place recently. I can't do right for doing wrong._"

"_Jack was worried about her being stuck here with James all day,_" Roxy chipped in, "_so… so I asked if she wanted to go to Southend and she just blew up at me._"

"Then I had an argument with her; she said I only ever think of myself and she wanted me to leave them alone. So I said I was leaving. She didn't try to get me to stay so I stormed out…" The teenager said with a sigh. Jack shook his head in exasperation.

Michael was looking slightly shifty, which Roxy seemed to notice because she turned to him suspiciously. "_Did you see her yesterday?_" She demanded.

"_Me?_" Michael tried to look innocent. "_Why would I see her?_"

"_You just might have seen her!_" Roxy replied with a shrug.

"_Guys, this is what she wants!_" Jack snapped. "_Everyone worrying about her… making a fuss._"

He stamped into his and Ronnie's bedroom, slamming the door. Katy stared indignantly after him. Her sister was still watching Michael as though she wasn't entirely sure whether she believed him or not. Phil looked concerned. None of the Mitchells thought for a second that Ronnie's disappearing act had been for effect or sympathy; they knew her better than that.


	141. Chapter 141

Phil nodded at the two remaining Mitchell sisters and turned tail, heading out of the flat. Roxy and Katy exchanged a glance and followed him outside. He was already walking down Bridge Street, past the Vic and through the market.

"OI!" Roxy yelled after him. "PHIL!"

He hesitated, but didn't turn around. He kept walking purposefully towards the end of the road.

"PHIL!" Katy screamed, adding to her sisters shouts. This time he stopped, turning to look at the sisters who had run to catch up with him. He sighed as they caught him up.

"Where are you going?" Roxy demanded. Katy was trying to catch her breath, one hand on her bump as though that would help. Roxy jabbed her finger at her younger sister. "And you shouldn't be running like that."

"Shut up." Katy snapped, between gasping for breath. She reached out and punched her sister lightly on the arm before straightening up and fixing a questioning eye on her cousin.

"I'm going to see a couple of mates… see if they've seen or heard anything… this ain't like Ronnie… she might be in trouble." He told them seriously, glancing around. "You stay here… keep your eyes open, yeah?"

The sisters nodded and watched him walk away, his collar turned up and his hands pushed deep into his pockets.

"When I grow up I want to be just like Phil." Katy said sarcastically. Roxy laughed and linked her arm through the teenager's propelling her towards the Vic. They saw Michael outside and the three of them went in, for lack of a better idea.

"_This is stupid._" Roxy said as they approached the bar. "_We should be back there with Jack, waiting for news._" Katy made a sound in her throat, signalling that she didn't agree with that at all. She was angry at how he was treating the situation; thinking that he should be doing much more to find Ronnie.

"_No, no._" Michael tried to convince her calmingly. "_He needs space, we all do._" As he added the last few words, he looked across at Katy who glared back at him.

"_What has happened to her?_"

"_I don't know!_" Michael snapped.

"_I was only asking._" Roxy said sulkily. "_Hey, Kat, listen, can I have a word?_" She called over the bar.

Kat leant over the bar, looking at them curiously. "_Yeah._"

"_Not with you, with this lot._" Katy heard her sister say. She tried to work out what Roxy was going to say. Hey, listen up, my sister's gone crazy and run away. If you see her, drag her home. Katy wasn't sure that Ronnie would like Roxy to make a public announcement about her, however tame it was.

"_Yeah, alright._" The landlady agreed. She looked totally confused, but didn't ask any questions.

"Alright, cheers." Roxy turned to face the punters, taking a deep breath. "Sorry, hi… sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to say if anyone has seen my sister… Ronnie… my sister… since last night, can you please let me know?"

Before the noise levels had gone back up, Roxy had walked away. Katy went after her, leaving Michael to explain what was going on to Kat at the bar. Fat Boy was sitting at a table with a middle-aged man and put out his hand to stop Katy.

"What's up, baby girl?" He asked concerned. "What's happened with the gorgeous Ronnie?"

Katy shrugged. "She's gone, babe. We don't know where… something's not right."

He watched her leave the pub in silence. Outside, Katy jogged to catch up with her sister.

"Hey, babe…" She grabbed Roxy by the arm and pulled her into a tight hug. "We'll find her, I promise. Something'll turn up."

"_Oh great, Aunt Sal._" Roxy said as her phone started to ring. The sister's looked at each other and sighed. "_Aunt Sal… hey, look, please… now is really not a good time._" Her voice started to crack as she spoke, fighting back her tears. "_Sorry?_" She started hitting Katy in the arm, her expression total shock.

"What?" The teenager hissed, trying to listen into the phone call.

"OK, OK… Thank you so much, Aunt Sal! I'll tell Jack straight away." Roxy hung up and turned to her sister, a beaming smile on her face. "You were right… something has turned up."

"She's at Aunt Sal's?" Katy asked astonished. Then a wave of relief hit her and she grinned back.

"I need to ring Jack." Roxy dialled the number and waited until the call connected. "Jack? Oh, hi Carol. Yeah, can you get Jack to ring me? Thanks." She turned to Katy. "He's at Jim and Dot's… apparently Dot fell down the stairs earlier."

"Is she OK?" Katy demanded, worried about her friend. Roxy nodded reassuringly.

"Yeah, don't worry, she's fine. Let's get over there and give him the good news."

The sisters almost ran in their excitement, banging on the front door. After a couple of minutes, Carol opened it.

"_Jack?_" Roxy called. "_Jack! Jack! She's alright! She's fine._"

He was in the kitchen, sniffing and rubbing his eyes. Katy was glad to see him showing some emotion at last.

"_What happened?_" He demanded.

"_Aunt Sal phoned me and she's there. She's absolutely fine, OK?_" Roxy told him with a smile. Carol gave a sigh of relief, but Katy was looking at Jack's face. He didn't look a bit relieved. If anything, he looked annoyed. "So I'm going to phone the babysitter and see if she can stay a little bit longer with Amy. Unless you want to go and get her yourself, Jack? I'll watch James for you."

Jack shook his head. "_Nah…_" The rest of the occupants of the kitchen looked slightly stunned at this reaction. Seeming to realise this, Jack shook his head again. "_Yeah, yeah… I'll deal with it._"

Katy didn't like the phrase he'd used; deal with it. The 'it' he was referring to was her sister. Before she could argue with him, however, Roxy smiled at her and pulled at her arm.

"_Good news, right?_" She said beaming.

"_Yeah, thanks for telling me._" Jack nodded.

"_Alright… I'm so relieved._"

"_Come on, let's go celebrate, eh?_" Michael said from behind them. Katy hadn't noticed him and guessed that he must have followed them. They left the house and, once they were outside, the sisters started laughing, hugging each other tightly.

"This calls for a drink!" Roxy exclaimed.

"Oh great," her pregnant sister said rolling her eyes, "bring on the juice."

"Oh shh! I'll buy you a coke if you're lucky!" They laughed and entered the Vic. "I'll have a pint, a vodka tonic and a coke, please Kat."

"Coke? That ain't like you, Katy?" The landlady said with a smile. "You sure you don't want some vodka in that?"

"No way!" Roxy said before Katy could open her mouth. "There's no way I'm letting her drink alcohol… not with my little niece inside her."

Katy looked at her sister furiously. Kat's mouth fell open. Beside the sisters, Mo Harris's head turned slowly to look at them, her mouth just as wide as her granddaughter's.

"Brilliant." Katy muttered.


	142. Chapter 142

"You're pregnant?" Kat asked, leaning over the bar to look at the teenager. Katy sighed and reluctantly nodded. "How did we miss that? You're massive!"

"Thanks." Katy said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes, wishing people wouldn't keep saying that.

"How pregnant are you?" Mo asked turned and looking at her with a well trained eye.

"Thirteen weeks."

"Blimey!" Mo's eyebrows looked as though they were about to disappear into her hairline. "Is it twins?"

"No!" Katy snapped.

Roxy seemed blissfully unaware of how uncomfortable her sister was. She paid Kat for the drinks and led her sister and boyfriend over to a table. After a while, Katy escaped and went over to Lauren's. Tanya seemed a little awkward with her at first, but she soon settled down and the two were back to normal. Lauren was sympathetic about Ronnie, but she had soon turned the conversation round to Whitney and the teenagers were trying to work out how best to find her.

x

The next morning, Katy woke up on Roxy's sofa. She'd decided to give her sister and Jack some space to talk when Ronnie came back, which Roxy agreed was a good idea. Her first sight that morning, however, was of Michael strolling into the living room wearing absolutely nothing.

"Oh!" She said, turning round quickly. "Put some clothes on!"

He just laughed and went to get dressed. Roxy appeared a second or two later, wearing her dressing gown and offering her sister a cup of tea. The morning sickness had calmed down significantly and Katy nodded, accepting the offer.

"When we're dressed and ready, we'll go and see Ron, right?" She said, heading into her bedroom to do just that. Katy nodded and carried her clothes to the bathroom, refusing to risk Michael walking in on her half dressed in the living room.

So, about ten minutes later, Roxy opened the door to Jack and Ronnie's flat and the sisters bounded inside excitedly.

"_Do come in._" Jack said moodily as they appeared. Katy shot him a sarcastic smile and the two Mitchell women looked around for their sister.

"_I thought you'd be at work._" Roxy said with a shrug.

"_Yeah, so did I_." Her brother-in-law said slamming his way around the kitchen.

"_Where is she?_" There was no sign of Ronnie and the sisters were getting impatient to see her.

"_She ain't here._"

Katy and Roxy looked at each other, totally confused. At first, they thought Jack was joking.

"What d'you mean?" The teenager asked.

"I mean, she ain't here." Jack repeated.

"_OK, we will wait._" Roxy said, walking into the living room. Katy followed and sat on the sofa, putting her feet up on the coffee table. Jack prodded her in the head as he passed to get her to move them. "_Is James having a nap?_"

"_Yeah, he's been up most of the night._"

"_Why?_" Roxy demanded. The same thought had crossed Katy's mind; that Jack and Ronnie had been rowing. But surely she would have heard them?

"_He's probably missing his mum, in't he? I dunno. Anyway, look, I've gotta clear this lot up._"

The sisters exchange a glance, the penny dropping at last. Ronnie wasn't out; she had never come home.

"_You didn't go and get her?_"

"_No._"

"_Well why not?_" Jack sighed but didn't answer the question. "_Hello? Hello! Did you speak to… did you speak to her? How is… JACK? WHY NOT?_"

The man had ignored Roxy, continuing to tidy up the flat as though she wasn't even there. Katy had stood up and followed the pair back into the kitchen. She couldn't actually believe how cold Jack seemed to be towards Ronnie.

"_Alright, let me see._" Jack said loudly, banging things down on the counter. He turned to face the sisters who were standing side by side against the wall. He was much taller than either of them and, leaning towards them like he was, cast a very threatening figure. "_Because I'm sick of talking about her... to her… worrying about her, trying to make things easy for her. Truth is, I'm sick of her. You wanna know how Ronnie is, don't ask me, you ask her._"

The sisters exchanged a look. Roxy's expression showed how hard she was working to keep her emotions under control, to stop herself crying. Katy's face was a harder mask, a face of grim determination. She followed Jack into the bedroom and pushed the door to.

"What's wrong with you?" She spat. "I thought you said you loved Ronnie? I thought you said that you loved my sister more than anything?"

"You don't know anything." Jack hissed at her angrily. "You're just some silly little kid who throws herself at every guy around and got herself pregnant."

Instantly he regretted his words, because Katy's face clouded with thunderous rage and she narrowed her eyes.

"You're going to wish you hadn't said that." She told him quietly, almost calmly.

"You're your father's daughter, alright." Jack added, unable to stop himself making the situation worse. Katy took a step towards him, but changed her mind. She turned tail and stormed into the living room.

"He's an absolute c–" She started, but Roxy cut across her.

"_So that's it, you've just given up on her, have you?_" She asked as Jack returned to tidying the room. He sighed in annoyance.

"_Can you get out the way, 'cos I've gotta tidy this lot up._"

Roxy refused to move, as did Katy beside her. "_No, no you haven't, actually. You haven't got to do anything, because nothing right now is more important._"

"_Alright, I'll tidy up around you._"

"_No! You won't, alright!_" Roxy pushed him backwards forcefully. "_You don't just switch off. You don't just dump my sister when the going gets a little bit bumpy._"

"_It's more than a bit._"

"_Jack, anyone can see that she is just about as low as she can get right now. D'you even care?_"

"_Well that's the thing, Rox._" Jack told her quietly, sitting on the arm of the sofa. "_I wanna care, alright, but I'm all out of caring._" Katy and Roxy both breathed out in exasperation at his words. Katy turned and faced the wall, leaning her head on it; seriously considering banging her head against it seeing as she'd probably get more sense out of doing that. Roxy sat down heavily on the arm of the armchair. "_I'm not saying it's right or trying to justify myself, but the last few months… they've been miserable. It's been hell. I've been trying my best to keep things keeping on, just for James's sake… and it's a pity she didn't think about the same, eh?"_

"_Are you gonna go and see her?_" Roxy asked in a quiet voice.

"_I can't."_

"_OK. Least we know where we stand now._" Roxy stood up, either trying not to cry or not to punch Jack in the face; Katy wasn't sure which. "_You've dumped her._"

She nodded to Katy and walked out of the flat. As they went through the front door, Jack called after them.

"_No, she walked out on me! And her son!_""

Roxy slammed the door, slipping her hand into Katy's.

"See…" the teenager said, giving the blonde's hand a squeeze, "he's a total c–"

"Let's go and see her, babe." Roxy suggested, cutting across Katy's words again. "Let's go to Aunt Sal's and make her come home."


	143. Chapter 143

Katy had left Roxy to sort a few things out, like checking up on Tanya, Jodie and Syed at the Salon, before they went to visit Sal. She'd popped over to see how Dot was after her fall.

The older woman was pretty cantankerous and winding Carol, who was doing her best interfering act to help her step-mother out, up no end. In the end, Katy excused herself grinning and met her sister outside the Vic.

Roxy had called a cab and they were soon headed out towards Sal's house. Katy had met Peggy's sister on several occasions and the pair had got on well. She was sarcastic, sharp-tongued, argumentative and unreasonable and often said things without engaging her brain first, which was probably why the teenager got on so well with her; they were so similar.

Katy stood behind her sister as Roxy hammered on the front door moaning about how long it took the woman to answer it.

"Oh that sort of idiot." Sal said, opening the door and looking at Roxy. "I might have known."

"Where is she?" Roxy demanded, not in the mood for being insulted.

"_She doesn't wanna see you._"

"_Ron?_" Roxy had no intention of listening to Aunt Sal. She pushed past her and headed into the living room.

"Alright, Katy." The older woman said, smiling at the teenager who had followed her sister inside. "You alright, love?"

"Yeah, thanks Aunt Sal. How are you?"

"Not too bad… can't complain." She glanced down and noticed Katy's pregnant stomach. "That's new."

"Yeah… I sorta… got pregnant." Katy told her shrugging. Sal smiled.

"Happens to the best of us." She said with a matching shrug. "You'd better go through before the bombshell breaks something."

They went into the room where Ronnie was and Katy knelt on the floor between her sisters. There were no other chairs and Katy didn't want to be out of the conversation.

"_She just pushed past me._" Sal said, jabbing her finger towards Roxy.

"_Hey… what we gonna do with you, Ron?_" Roxy asked, rubbing her sister's arm. Katy smiled up at her as well and the older blonde weakly returned it, looking between her younger sisters.

"_In my day a man wouldn't be seen dead with a baby._" Aunt Sal was saying. She'd poured cups of tea for herself and the three sisters and they were all sitting round the table, almost uncomfortably. "_She's lucky in't she, Rox?_"

"_Yeah._" The blonde agreed more to keep Sal happy than anything else. She raised her eyebrows at her sisters.

"_And she's looking so well, too; that perfect skin. You can go sallow after a baby. Well you did, didn't you._" She said looking at Roxy.

Roxy glared at her. "_No!_"

"_I remember saying to Peggy, I hope that baby's worth it, she's aged at least ten years._ You'd better hope you take after Ronnie, Katy love, or you'll end up looking older like Roxy."

Katy tried to stifle her giggles as Roxy tried to manhandle Sal out of the room. She caught Ronnie's eye and she gave a weak smile as well.

"_What're you doing?_" Sal protested.

"_Have you not got some neighbours to go and annoy or something?_" Roxy asked as she pulled Sal out of her seat and towards the door. "_Haven't you got some old bloke to bat around the head with a house brick or something? Come on. Oh! Listen! Isn't that Uncle Harold?_"

"_I didn't hear anything?_" Sal said confused. Katy couldn't hear anything either, but soon realised that neither could Roxy.

"_Oh, there it is again, go on._" Roxy said pushing the woman through the door and slamming it closed. She breathed out heavily and looked at her sisters as the door opened again.

"_No wonder your mother couldn't stick you, you little thug!_" Sal spat before Roxy shut the door on her again. She sighed and Katy grinned.

"Eventful!"

"_Are you coming home?_" Roxy asked ignoring Katy's input to the situation.

"_I need time to think._" Ronnie said in answer to the question.

"_You can think at home… with James._"

"_No, I can't. I can't. Aunt Sal is bad, but the baby is… it's the baby…_"

"_Ron… the baby… he's such a good boy, he doesn't even cry."_

"_And that's worse! Don't you understand, that's worse._" Ronnie shouted. Katy and Roxy exchanged totally confused looks, not understanding what their older sister meant at all. "_When he doesn't cry, when he's happy, that's so much worse._"

"_It's just… it's just hormones._" Roxy tried to assure her. Katy twitched slightly, remembering Jack blaming her for being hormonal the other night. "_OK, it's just hormones. I was like this for weeks when Amy was born… I was really messed up, remember? I used to cry when the ads came on with that puppy and the toilet roll._ And Katy will be exactly the same when her baby's born."

"_It's not been weeks though, has it?_" Ronnie asked quietly, shaking her head. "_It's been months and it just keeps getting worse._"

"_It'll get better._"

"_It won't. It won't, because something's wrong and it can't be… something's wrong._"

"_What?_" Roxy whispered, her voice barely audible. All three sisters were crying now. "_What? Come here… It really, really hurts me, it really hurts me… _and Katy… _to see you like this. You have always looked after me. Why can't you please, please just let me look after you, OK?_"

"_I can't, I'm sorry._" Ronnie said with a small shrug, tears rolling down her face.


	144. Chapter 144

"_You girls all talked out yet?_" Aunt Sal asked, opening the door and walking in without any warning. On one side of Ronnie, Roxy put her head on the table in a mixture of annoyance, frustration and sorrow. On Ronnie's other side, Katy squeezed her older sister's hand, wiping away her tears with her free hand.

"_Here she is,_" Roxy said, trying to get herself back to normal by having a go at Sal, "_demented cuckoo clock. How many times have I got to throw you out of here?_"

"Sorry, Aunt Sal." Katy said, standing up and moving between her sister and the older blonde who were glaring daggers at each other. "She's just upset, you know." The teenager guided Sal over to the sofa and settled her down with a magazine. "Can you just stay here… winding Roxy up only causes problems, you know that."

Sal sighed and nodded, so Katy made her way back to the table.

"_I wish Auntie Peggy was here to sort us out."_ Roxy was saying. A knot in Katy's stomach twisted as she guiltily remembered her last meeting with their Aunt. Peggy had told her to look after her sisters and she was clearly doing a terrible job.

"_I need peace and quiet, not a hurricane._" Ronnie said with a smile. Her sisters grinned too.

"_Little blonde hurricane._" Roxy agreed. Katy noticed Sal looking over, slightly annoyed.

"_Who wears ridiculous heels for her age._" She tutted, making Katy laugh. Roxy sighed.

"_I'll come again tomorrow, yeah?_"

"_You will not!_" Sal told her firmly. "Katy can, but you're not coming back here."

"_If you want me to, I'll come every day as long as you're here._" Roxy promised, ignoring Sal's words.

"Me too." Katy agreed as the front doorbell rang.

"_Oh! It's always something._" Sal moaned as she got up to answer it.

"_You've got Amy and work and Michael to think about._" Ronnie said. "And Katy, you've got school as soon as your suspension is over."

"_Yeah, I can bring Amy with, Michael won't mind and… stuff work! OK?_"

"Yeah… stuff school." Katy said, hopefully. Ronnie shook her head and the teenager sighed.

The younger two sisters stood up, getting their jackets off the back of their chairs and they hugged each other tightly.

"_D'you want me to tell Jack anything?_" Roxy asked.

"_No, no… just kiss the baby for me._"

"_You can do that yourself._" Jack said, walking into the room. All three sisters stared at him, shocked. "_I've come for my wife._" He said, holding out his hand to Ronnie.

For a couple of moments, no one said anything. They all started at each other; wondering what was going to happen. The silence was obviously too much for Aunt Sal, who broke it after a while.

"_Don't just stand there._" She said. "_Let him sit down._"

Ronnie took several deep breaths before standing up. She moved past Jack, not taking his hand, and went to the sofa. Roxy patted her back as she passed and raised her eyebrows at Katy, who shrugged and followed her older sister across the room.

"_If you're just gonna upset everyone, you can go now._" Roxy told Jack quietly.

"_He won't upset anyone, will you?_" Sal said, glaring at the younger blonde.

"_I just want to talk._" He assured his sister-in-law.

"_Well I've heard some of the things you've got to say._" Roxy continued, reluctant to let him off the hook. On the sofa Katy held Ronnie's hands, squeezing them tightly. Her sister was shaking, her eyes not moving from her husband's face.

"_No, you haven't. I lashed out, alright? I was angry. I'm not anymore. I just want to make things better._"

"_You were just leaving weren't you, Roxy?_" Sal said firmly. It was clearly more of a command than a question. "And Katy can come with you."

"_No, I'm not really sure I want to now._" Roxy said, giving dirty looks to Sal and Jack.

"Maybe we should stay… just for a bit." Katy agreed looking at her sister.

"_Oh, I'm sure you've got all sorts of things you need to do. Come on, let me see you out._"

"_I will see myself out when the time is right, thank you._"

"_There is no time like the present._"

Both Ronnie's younger sisters looked at her for reassurance. When she nodded, Katy reluctantly stood up, giving her a big hug.

"Let us know you're alright, OK?" She whispered into her sister's blonde hair so that only Ronnie could hear. Ronnie nodded and hugged her back tightly.

"_Don't you dare bully her._" Roxy threatened Jack as Katy moved to her side. The teenager glared at him as well.

"_When have I ever done that?_" He asked. Katy snorted cynically.

"Do you want a list?" She muttered under her breath. Aunt Sal jabbed her in the ribs and shot her a warning look. The older woman put her hand on the small of Roxy's back and propelled them out into the hall.

"She'll be alright." She said as they went through the front door.

"Yeah, well, she better be." Roxy snapped. "Or I'm blaming you."

x

Roxy moaned all the way back to Albert Square. Katy sighed and nodded along with her, but her mind was on other things. Now that they knew that Ronnie was safe, she was more concerned about where Whitney was. She and Lauren were planning on heading back to Stanham Road at the weekend to see if there was any sign of her.

She pulled out her phone to text Lauren but Roxy's eagle eyes saw her and she glared.

"What are you doing?"

"I was just going to text Lauren!" Katy protested. "To let her know Ronnie's OK. I mean, she is technically her Aunt. Lor was worried."

"Well…" Roxy said, not really having a comeback to that comment. She started ranting again and Katy was free to text her friend.

'_Ronnie's at Aunt Sal's. Jack's with her. We still on for Stanham at the weekend? x_'

They'd arrived back at the Square before Lauren text back. Katy had gone into the flat to collect some things and take them up to Roxy's flat. If Jack managed to persuade Ronnie to come home, they'd probably want some space for a while so Katy was temporarily moving into the spare room, which used to be Glenda's.

'Good. Hope she's OK. Can't do this weekend, stuff planned. L x'

Katy was disappointed, but sighed without saying anything. She guessed she'd have plenty to do this weekend whether Ronnie came home or not.


	145. Chapter 145

Jack had managed to persuade Ronnie to come home, but Katy and Roxy had hardly seen or heard anything of their older sister. Roxy had been spending a lot of time with Michael and worrying about the Salon, so Katy had spent almost all of her weekend babysitting Amy. At least it was good practise, she decided on Sunday night as she collapsed into bed.

On Monday morning Katy had a rude awakening. Her alarm went off and she struggled to get out of bed for her first day back at school and her first day in the isolation unit. She was on a go slow getting ready for school and spent twenty minutes longer than usual straightening her hair. For luck she applied extra eyeliner and wore her biggest hoop earrings.

"Alright, Chavette?" Lauren asked with a grin as they met outside the flat ready to walk to school.

"Yeah," she said with a small laugh, "you?"

Lauren nodded and they made their way along the familiar route to school. They talked about random things until Katy brought up the subject of Whitney. Then their conversation became serious; discussing where they thought she might be and whether or not some kind of rescue mission was a good idea.

"First thing's first, we've got to get through this week of school. I've got detention every day and you're in isolation."

Katy groaned. "That is going to be so boring. School's bad enough when I can talk to you, but being on my own all day… I might just pass out."

They separated at the gates. Lauren headed for their form room and Katy made her way to reception to report in. She was told to wait until Mr Alcock was ready to see her, so she slouched in one of the deep chairs and put her foot up on the coffee table. The receptionist tutted and kept shooting the teenager dirty looks, but Katy didn't care; she'd had worse.

"Katy…" Mr Alcock appeared in the room and smiled at her. Katy didn't smile back, neither did she stand up. She did, however, look up at him with a grim expression on her face. "If you'd like to follow me."

Reluctantly she stood up, grabbed her bag and followed the headmaster out of the reception area, down the corridor and into the section of the school assigned to the isolation and behavioural units. Katy groaned as she was led into a small room where there were already several textbooks and a booklet of work set out ready.

"Your work is all in that booklet. Each of your teachers has set you relevant work, almost exactly what you would have been doing in your normal classes. We've only given you today's work so that it isn't confusing. Please make sure that you stick to the timetable." Mr Alcock told her.

Katy looked at the booklet. On the first page her lessons for that day were listed, alongside which the teachers names had been written; _English Literature – Mrs Bryan, English Literature – Miss Alton, Politics – Mr Cole, Geography – Mr Kelvin_ and _History – Mrs Kelley_. Her normal timetable, but with the free after break removed.

"What about my free after break?" Katy asked, dropping her bag onto the table.

"You'll be expected to use any free lessons to make a start on the homework set."

"OK… well, what if I need something else?"

"Like what?"

"Like… I don't know? A dictionary maybe? Or some other kind of equipment?"

"You have access to a laptop," Mr Alcock said, pointing to the machine that was on the table behind them, "and if there's anything else that you need Miss Lanceley, the Learning Support Officer is in the office next door making sure everything's running smoothly in here. Knock on her door and she'll sort things out."

The Mitchell teenager thought hard, looking for any other loopholes she might be able to find. "What about PE on Wednesday afternoon?"

"For the month that you are spending in isolation you will either miss your PE lessons, or you'll be able to do them during your double free on Tuesday afternoon with the year eight class."

"No way!" Katy said quickly. "I am not doing PE with year eights. Besides, I probably shouldn't really be doing PE anyway." She added with a shrug.

"Ah, yes, about that…" Mr Alcock said, looking slightly flustered. "We will need to have a meeting with your sisters at some point to discuss your… umm… course of action."

"Good luck with that!" Katy snorted. She couldn't imagine either of her sisters being keen to come into school anytime soon, especially to discuss Katy's 'course of action'.

With that he left, leaving Katy alone with her work. She sighed and started, thinking she might as well get on with it. With no distractions, Katy got through the set work quicker than normal and, by the middle of the lesson after lunch she had finished everything and had started on her homework.

Her mobile, which no one had thought to take away, was on the table in front of her. Katy jumped as it made a horrible rattling noise, vibrating on the surface, signalling that she had a message. It was from a number she didn't know.

'_Katy, it's Michael. Can you do Rox a massive favour and pick Amy up from nursery? Thanks._'

Katy glared at the phone for a second and then her expression changed from annoyance to curiosity. Why did they want her to collect Amy, and why was Michael texting her, not Roxy?

'_Why?_' The one word text was send and the teenager didn't have long to wait for her reply.

'_There's been a problem with the Salon and she's a bit tied up. You'd be doing her a huge favour._'

'_Alright, I'll get her. What time?_'

'_Half three. Thanks, Katy._'

Katy glanced at the time. It was already ten to three and the nursery was about half an hour walk from Albert Square in the opposite direction from Walford High, which meant that Katy was not going to make it in time. It also meant that she was going to have to skive off.

'_Lor… Roxy needs me to pick Amy up from nursery, so I'm gonna have to skip the rest of school. I'll see you in the morning. x'_

Carefully Katy stood up, gathered her things and crept out of the room. She signed out on the piece of paper sellotaped to the door, putting down half past three as her leaving time and walked confidently down the corridor. She's often found that looking as though you weren't doing something you shouldn't be meant that people didn't question you, even if you were blatantly doing something wrong.

She walked through the gates and breathed a sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was get to the nursery and collect her niece. Oh, and hope no one went to check on her in the isolation room.


	146. Chapter 146

Katy took Amy to the swings on the way home, trying to delay going back to the flat and intruding on Ronnie and Jack's privacy. The teenager was moving back into her bedroom because it was easier than having to move things around all the time.

When Amy started to get bored and throw pieces of bark at the cars parked outside the Arches, Katy decided that it was probably time to leave. They walked slowly, chattering about what was going on around them.

Jack picked his daughter up as Katy opened the flat door, giving her a big hug. The little girl giggled and wriggled until he put her down. She then followed her aunt into her bedroom. Katy sighed, moving her laptop slightly as Amy jumped onto the bed beside her demanding attention. In the end, she put on a DVD to keep the toddler entertained until her mum appeared to collect her. She soon fell asleep.

Katy heard voices and poked her head into the living room to investigate. Roxy and Michael had arrived to pick Amy up. The teenager smiled and scooped her niece off the bed, carrying the sleeping toddler out to hand over to her mum. Ronnie disappeared into the bedroom and the door shut behind her.

"_Knew it wouldn't last._" Jack said, breathing out loudly.

"_Just 'cos she's home, it don't mean it's sorted, does it?_" Roxy said, trying to reassure him that everything would be alright. Her sister knew that it wasn't just Jack that Roxy was trying to convince. "_She's not well. She's so far from well it frightens me._"

Jack sighed and shook his head again. Wordlessly Katy handed Amy over to her sister and smiled as the little girl snuggled closer to Roxy.

"How was your first day back?" She asked in a low voice. "What's it like in isolation?"

Katy shrugged. "Boring."

"I'm sure it is… but hey, it's not for that long."

"It's a month, Rox." Katy said in exasperation. "It's so boring!"

"Well you should learn to control your temper then." Jack chipped in. Katy kept her mouth shut, knowing that Jack didn't know the full story and not wanting to enlighten him. Instead she rolled her eyes and said goodnight to Roxy and Michael.

When they'd gone, she leant over the sofa. "You'd better look after my sister."

"Katy… I will. But you've gotta stop treating me like the big bad wolf."

"Whatever."

x

The next morning Katy had an appointment with Anna, her midwife, at the hospital. She'd considered asking one, or both, of her sisters to come with her, but Ronnie was in no fit state and Roxy… well… Katy didn't know where Roxy had gone. She wasn't even answering her phone.

Katy did her best 'Ronnie in a bad mood' impression and called up Walford High to tell them she wouldn't be in that morning.

"Hello." She said coldly as the posh receptionist answered the phone. "This is Ronnie Branning, Katy Mitchell's sister. I'm ringing to say that Katy won't be in this morning because she's got a hospital appointment."

"Right, Mrs Branning. Would you mind waiting a moment? Mr Alcock would like a quick word with you about your sister."

"I'm quite busy." Katy said, worried that her impression wouldn't be good enough to fool her headmaster.

"It won't be long." The woman promised. "I'll just put you through now."

Katy swore under her breath and considered hanging up the phone. She had told them that she wasn't going to be there, after all. By the time she'd made her mind up, Mr Alcock was on the other end of the phone.

"Ahh! Mrs Branning." He said quickly. "I don't know if Katy mentioned that I suggested a meeting with you and Miss Mitchell about Katy's condition and her options for the future."

"What condition?" Katy asked awkwardly.

There was a pause as Mr Alcock seemed to be trying to work out whether Ronnie knew about the pregnancy or not. Katy could imagine the look on his face as he wondered whether he'd just informed the woman that her teenage sister was pregnant.

"D'you mean the pregnancy?" Katy asked, putting him out of his misery.

He sounded relieved as he answered. "Yes, the pregnancy. I would like you and Katy's other sister, Ms Mitchell, to come into school so we can discuss together what Katy's going to do."

"Roxy and I are both very busy." Katy snapped, starting to worry about how deep into the conversation she'd got pretending to be Ronnie. "Katy knows what she wants to do and she's more than capable of making her own decisions."

"Very well, Mrs Branning." The man said coldly. "If you don't feel it's important for you to come and discuss this we will leave the matter there. But I do need to speak to Katy about what she is planning to do about school."

"Of course. She won't be in this morning, as I explained to your secretary, but she should be in later."

"Very well. Thank you for letting us know. Goodbye."

When the line went dead, Katy sighed and put the handset down. She was shaking after the conversation. Although she'd managed to make Ronnie sound completely uncaring and unreasonable, at least she'd put an end to any talk of a meeting with her sisters about her educational future. The truth was Katy had no intention of going back to school once her baby was born. And that was final.


	147. Chapter 147

"How're you feeling, love?" Anna asked Katy kindly as she wrapped the blood pressure monitor around the teenager's arm. Katy shrugged.

Anna gave her a serious look, put didn't say anything as she took the measurements and started getting the hypodermic ready to take a couple of vials of blood from Katy's arm. The teenager winced as the blood was taken, but didn't say anything either.

"So, how have things been?" Anna asked once all the tests were done and Katy was pulling down the sleeve of her jumper. Anna leant her elbows on the desk and rested her head on one hand, smiling at the teenager.

"Fine." Katy said with a shrug. Anna raised an eyebrow. The teenager sighed. "Not great."

"D'you want to talk about it? It is part of my job, after all; to take care of you physically and emotionally."

"Am I meant to be this huge, already?" Katy asked quickly. She was sure that her bump wasn't supposed to be this big at fourteen weeks. "I'm not having twins, am I?"

Anna laughed. "No! Don't be silly. Some bumps are just bigger than others and yours happens to be a big one."

"Oh…" That news made Katy slightly nervous. If her bump was big, did that mean her baby would be? Surely that meant that the actual birth would be more painful.

"Now, is there anything else on your mind? How are things going, love?"

"Well… things have been really stressful at home. My sister, Ronnie, she had a baby at New Year and she's not right… she vanished the other day and we managed to track her down to our Aunt's house. Her husband, Jack, is being really unsympathetic about everything."

"Is she seeing anyone?" Anna asked concerned. "Her midwife?"

Katy shook her head. "She was seeing a counsellor, but she stopped going because it was all too much."

"Get her to come to your next appointment with you." The midwife advised. "I can have a quick word with her and see what's going on, if you want."

The teenager smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"What else has been bothering you, love?" Anna asked after a couple of minutes silence. It was plain on Katy's face that something else was worrying her.

"My best friend's gone missing." Katy said with a sigh. "She fell out with her family and left home. We tracked her down, but she was with this guy who was making her sleep with all these men. When he realised we were on to him, he threatened us and Whit vanished again. We haven't seen her since." Anna was still looking concerned, but she obviously didn't know how to respond to this information, so Katy continued. "My other sister, Roxy, is going out with this guy who tried it on with Ronnie. Sometimes he really creeps me out, but then other times he's really nice. And I accidentally kissed my brother-in-law."

"Accidentally?" Anna asked with an amused smile, not seeming at all shocked by this admission.

"Well… I was really angry with him about the way he was treating Ronnie and he was yelling at me about it… and then, all of a sudden, we were kissing. I pushed him off and felt so bad about it… but I don't know whether to tell her, especially at the moment."

"I wouldn't, if I were you, love." Anna advised. "It was clearly a one-off and if things are as bad with your sister as you say they are it would only push her further over the edge."

Katy nodded. "Maybe… oh… and I ended up in isolation in school. For fighting."

"Katy!" This time Anna was shocked.

"I know, I know… but this girl in my class was going on about how fat I'd got and then they worked out that I was pregnant and she asked if I was the latest on Jack's list." Anna looked confused at this last comment so, with a sigh, Katy explained what she meant. "Jack, my brother-in-law, is married to my older sister, Ronnie and they have James. But before that, he had a daughter, Amy, with my other sister Roxy and a son, Richard, with our cousin Sam. Some girls at school found out because my other best friend, Lauren, who's Jack's niece, let slip one day to one of our mates."

Anna blinked several times, trying to get her head around what Katy had told her. "Your life is very complicated, isn't it, love?" She asked. Katy gave her a weak smile and nodded.

"It's not simple." The teenager agreed.

"What about your parents? Can't they provide some stability? By the sounds of it the three of you need some kind of parental influence at the moment."

"I'm an orphan." Katy said simply. "Both my parents died in December the year before last. Mam suffered from depression really badly and killed herself when I was out one night. Then my dad was murdered on Christmas Day."

The midwife looked horrified.

"I never met my dad, so that didn't really affect me. And to be honest, my mam had a terrible life as it was. But Ronnie and Roxy's mum was around for a bit… they're better off without her. She nicked all Roxy's money and lied about it." The teenager noticed Anna looking shell-shocked and grinned. "Explains a lot, don't it."

"Well… I'm not surprised your sister's not feeling herself with all that going on." Anna said, leaning back in her chair and taking a deep breath. There was a knock on the door, which made both of them jump.

"Anna, your next appointment's here." A nurse said, poking her head around the door. Anna glanced at the time and jumped again.

"Goodness! We've overrun a lot." She said. "Sorry, love, I'm going to have to see my next patient. But if you want to talk, anytime about anything, you've got my number, haven't you? Don't hesitate to call me, love."

"Thank you." Katy said, genuinely grateful for the offer. "I will."

"And no more fights!" Anna warned as she ushered the teenager out. Katy grinned and nodded. "Make your next appointment at the desk and remember, bring your sister."

The teenager agreed and went to make her next appointment for two weeks' time. Then she made her way, reluctantly, back to school to complete her work in isolation.


	148. Chapter 148

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Lauren asked as the pair walked home from school that afternoon. Katy shrugged, wondering why everything that day was focused on her pregnancy.

"I dunno… there's loads of names I like. My favourites at the moment are Cari, Alice, Ruby and Freya." She said with a sigh. "But I also like Olivia, Amelia, Annie, Faye, Mollie and Nia."

"Wow!" Lauren said blinking.

"Yeah… trying to pick the right name is hard."

"What were the first one and the last one you said?"

Katy thought hard for a moment. "Cari and Nia. I knew some girls back in Newport with those names and thought they were pretty." She explained. "But the kid's definitely going to be Something Karen Margaret Mitchell."

"Well that rules out Cari, surely." Lauren said. "Cari Karen doesn't go well."

"True…" Katy agreed slowly with a nod. They'd reached the Square by now. Instead of heading towards the flat, Katy turned and went into the gardens, sitting on the bench. She pulled a notebook out of her bag and flicked through the pages quickly.

"What's that?" Her friend asked, coming to sit beside her.

"Oh… I wrote down the names I liked. I'm going to cross Cari off."

"I think I like Ruby and Alice best." Lauren said reading the names on the page. Katy nodded.

"Me too." The wind blew suddenly, catching the pages of the notebook and flipping them so that they turned. Lauren spotted her name written on a page and grabbed the book out of Katy's hands.

"Why's my name in here?" She demanded.

"Because I want you to be her Godmother." Katy said, as though Lauren was simple. "And Whit, if she ever comes back."

Lauren's face crumpled at the news. She pulled the pregnant teenager into a tight hug and nodded ferociously.

"I'll be the best Godmother ever, yeah? I promise."

x

Nothing much else of interest happened to the two teenage girls for a couple of days. Katy had almost completed her first week in the isolation unit without anything bad happening, except her getting very bored.

On Tuesday, the roof of the Argee Bhajee had collapsed during Tamar Masood and Afia Khan's engagement party. Neither of the teenagers had been invited, but Tanya had gone with Jane. Luckily no one was seriously hurt, except Syed who broke his leg. Roxy had been worried about Christian, but that soon wore off when she realised that her best friend was too worried about his boyfriend to be as grateful as she expected for her sympathy.

On Friday morning as they were walking past the police station on their way to school, a police car drew up outside. Out of it got a dark haired girl who seemed very unsteady on her feet. Lauren and Katy looked at each other, both thinking exactly the same thing.

"_Whitney?_" Lauren called. As neither the girl nor the police men turned around, the girls ran after them. As they neared the entrance, one of the men turned to look at them suspiciously.

"_Is there a problem?_" He asked, blocking their path. His colleague was leading the girl inside.

"_I think… I think that's my friend._" Lauren told him.

"Whitney, Whitney Dean." Katy chipped in.

"_Well right now she's busy._"

"_What's she done?_" Lauren demanded.

"Is she alright?" The older girl asked, trying to look past the man into the station.

"_I can't give you that information._" They were told.

"_Well if she's in trouble I wanna help._"

"We both do." Katy agreed, nodding vehemently.

"_She's being interviewed, so you'll have to wait._" In general Katy didn't think much of the police, but this particular officer was really winding her up. She took several deep breathes, knowing that smacking him would be a very stupid idea.

"Please…" Lauren begged. "We just need to know if it was Whitney."

"I can't tell you anything right now." The policeman said, turning his back on the girls and walking away.

"Well I'm not leaving until you tell me her name." Lauren shouted at his back. He glanced over his shoulder at her before going in through the doors. Lauren sighed agitated. Katy shook her head, muttering under her breath.

"What a dick."

"Should we go in and make them tell us?"

"They won't tell us anything." Katy assured her sitting heavily on the steps and leaning against the wall. "We'll just have to sit and wait."

"How long for? We've got to register and then I was supposed to be coming back; Greg was gonna give me a driving lesson."

"Well… I'll wait here if you want and let you know? Screw the isolation unit, this is way more important." Katy said.

Lauren shook her head. "Nah, I'll wait with you. You're right; this is more important."

Instead of sitting still, however, Lauren paced up and down outside the police station. Watching her was making Katy feel sick. The morning sickness had worn off, but watching her friend pacing was bringing it back.

"Stop it!" She snapped as the door behind them opened.

"_Her name's Vicki Corbett._" The unhelpful policeman from before said bluntly. Both girls narrowed their eyes, not believing him.

"_Are you sure?_" Lauren asked. Katy shook her head in disbelief, pulling herself to her feet.

"_She's got ID._"

"_Anyone can get fake ID._"

"_Well, if that's the case we'll find out._" He told her sharply.

"Maybe if we could see her? Just talk to her…" Katy suggested. Lauren nodded quickly.

"_When can we see her?_"

"_She's being interviewed._"

"_OK, well if she does turn out to be Whitney Dean, can you call me?_" Lauren pleaded. "_Or tell her to call me. Look, it's Lauren Branning. That's my number._" She handed a piece of paper with her mobile number scribbled on it to the policeman who went back inside without saying anything else.

The teenagers looked at each other and smiled, slightly calmer now.


	149. Chapter 149

Instead of going back to school, the pair went to the swings. They hadn't been there long when Abi appeared. Katy saw her first and got confused, wondering whether they'd been sitting there for much longer than she'd thought. Then she realised that Abi must be skiving too.

"Alright?" She asked with a smile. Abi beamed back.

"_Hiya._"

"_Shouldn't you be at school?_" Lauren asked, raising her eyebrows.

"_Shouldn't you?_" Her younger sister shot back quickly. Katy grinned. "I thought you were in the isolation unit, Katy?"

The Mitchell shrugged. "It was boring, babe."

"_Anyway, we finished early today. It's Easter._" Abi informed them happily.

"_Yeah right._" Her sister said with a grin. "_What you skipping?_"

"_Double gym._"

Katy laughed. "Nice one." The other two joined in.

"_What are you doing?_" Abi asked them curiously.

"_Waiting._"

"Hanging out." Katy said at the same time.

"_I'm waiting too._" The younger girl said excitedly. "_I'm meeting Jay later. Umm… can I borrow your phone? I need to call him._"

"_Err… what's wrong with yours?_"

"_Oh… I have no credit._"

"_Go look for him then._" Lauren snapped. "_The Arches is just there._"

"_Yeah well it's closed. They must be out on a job._"

"_Sorry, I'm keeping the line free._"

"_What for?_"

"_I'm expecting a call, alright?_" Lauren snapped again. She sighed and looked at Katy, rolling her eyes.

"Fine!" Abi said with an exaggerated sigh. "I'll go and look for him, then."

The two older girls grinned at each other as she flounced off. They started discussing Jay and Abi as a couple, which distracted them from waiting for a while. Lauren put her hand down to pick up her phone, worried because she hadn't checked it for a couple of minutes when she realised that it had gone.

"That little cow!" She muttered angrily, before yelling at the top of her lungs, "_ABI! DID YOU TAKE MY PHONE?_"

Katy and Lauren leapt off the swings and ran, or in Katy's case waddled, in the direction they'd seen Abi heading. As they rounded the corner onto the Square she was nowhere to be seen. Swearing, Lauren headed towards Bridge Street, making threats under her breath as she went.

"You check the Vic and the laundrette. I'll do the Minute Mart and the Caf." She told Katy, heading off through the market. Katy nodded and went into the Pub. Jay and Ricky were there, but Abi was nowhere to be seen.

"You seen Abi?" She asked folding her arms across her chest and raising her eyebrows at the teenage boy. He shook his head.

"Nah… why?"

"She was trying to find you, but she had no credit so she's nicked Lauren's phone and we really need it back. Like now." Katy said. With Ricky sitting there, she couldn't tell Jay the reason she needed it back.

"Why was she looking for you?" Ricky asked, grinning slightly.

"I dunno." Jay shrugged, glaring at Katy. He was keen to keep the relationship secret, especially from Max.

"If you see her, tell her Lauren's on the warpath, yeah?" Katy told him, before heading out into the street and sticking her head into the Laundrette. There was no sign of her, so Katy went to meet up with Lauren. Together they walked under the bridge looking for her.

"_Have you seen Abi?_" Lauren asked Christian. Katy guessed that he'd just collected Syed from the hospital.

"_Sorry, darlin', I've been at the hospital._" He said confirming Katy's thoughts.

"Is Sy alright?" Katy asked, seeing that her sister's best mate looked concerned.

"Yeah… he's fine. I've just brought him home."

"Say hi for me."

"I will. Catch you later."

Lauren grabbed Katy's arm and pulled her forwards, pointing ahead of them. Jay was standing outside R&R, trying to check his breath. Katy grinned, despite the situation and followed her friend.

They followed Jay all the way to the allotments. He went into a summerhouse, after looking around to make sure no one was watching. Katy and Lauren exchanged a glance, wondering what the pair of them were doing in the small shed.

"I really hope they're not doing something they shouldn't be." Katy said, raising her eyebrows.

"Eurgh!" Lauren exclaimed, shaking her head. "That's my little sister."

"Yeah, well, she's not a kid anymore, is she?"

"Just shut up, yeah?"

"OK, OK." Katy said with a grin. "Let's go and get your phone then!"

Lauren burst into the summerhouse, closing the door behind her. Outside, Katy pulled an offended face and wrenched it open. Lauren shot her an apologetic look before turning back to her younger sister.

"_What are you doing here?_" Jay demanded looking between the older girls.

"_Um… your girlfriend stole my phone._" Lauren informed him angrily, barely taking her eyes off Abi.

"I told you." Katy said from outside. Jay glared at her.

"_I was gonna give it back._" Abi protested.

"_I told you I was waiting for a call._"

"_Sorry!_"

"_Well you can hand it over so I can call Dad and tell him what his little girl's been up to._" Lauren threatened in her fury. Katy rolled her eyes, instantly knowing that Abi would be less inclined to give the phone back now.

"_Lauren you can't he will go mental._"

"_Come on._"

Abi, rather than handing over the mobile, pushed past her sister and slammed the summerhouse door, shutting Lauren and Jay inside. She rushed past Katy, who stared after her bewildered and sprinted across the allotments. For a second the pregnant teenager thought about chasing her, but then she looked down at her bump and changed her mind. She had no chance of catching her up.

Suddenly the door flew open and angrily Lauren jumped out.

"Where is she?" She demanded.

Katy pointed. "She went that way."

"You didn't follow her?"

"Have you seen the size of me?" Katy asked annoyed. "I had no chance of catching her up, let alone keeping up with her."

Lauren let out an exasperated scream. Behind her Jay was grinning.

"I don't know why you're grinning." Katy snapped at him, jabbing her finger in his direction threateningly. "If this messes things up, trust me, you're going to pay, Jay Mitchell."

The teenage boy shrugged casually, but his eyes had widened slightly and Katy knew he had taken her warning seriously. The girls headed back in the direction of the Square. They found Abi sitting on the bench in the gardens.

"_OI!_" Lauren screeched at her. "_I dunno what you think you're playing at…"_

"_Lauren you need to see this._" Abi said quietly, holding out her sister's mobile.

"_No, I told you I needed that phone. I said I was waiting for an important call._"

"_Lauren, you need to see this._" Her sister repeated, still holding the phone out.

"Lor?" Katy asked quietly as her friend took the device.

Lauren stared at it for a couple of seconds before turning wide-eyed to Katy and giving her a quick nod. Forgetting all about the fact that she couldn't run, Katy sprinted after Lauren in the direction of Walford Police Station.

As they reached it, they saw Whitney standing on the steps. She was staring straight ahead of her, as though she couldn't even see them. Katy's hand went straight to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. Whitney looked terrible.

"_I got your message._" Lauren said. Katy was glad her friend had spoken, because she didn't think she was capable of doing so. Instead she just stared at Whitney.

Whitney was pale and drawn. Her hair was matted and looked shorter than it had been the last time they'd seen her. She looked older, as though whatever she'd been through had aged her. Or maybe it was because she wasn't wearing any makeup and her hair was a mess. She'd definitely changed. The fun, carefree, wild Whitney had vanished. In her place was this silent, staring Whitney who was clutching a carrier bag tightly. It was horrible.


	150. Chapter 150

"Come on." Lauren said. "Let's get you out of here."

"I can't go home." Whitney insisted, shaking her head furiously.

"OK, OK." The youngest of the three seemed the most in control. She nodded at her friends words and thought for a moment. "You can come and stay with me. Just for a while. No one will notice. Everyone is too busy with the wedding."

"I would offer ours…" Katy said, finding her voice at last. "But finding any privacy in the flat is almost impossible."

Whitney nodded wordlessly and followed Lauren as she hesitantly made her way towards the Square.

"I'll go first." Katy told them. "You know, make sure the coast is clear."

Lauren nodded and waited as Katy walked through the alleyway between the Masood's house and the B&B. After a couple of moments, Katy poked her head back down the alleyway and nodded. The other two hurried towards her, stopping just out of sight of the Square.

"I just saw Carol crossing to the bookies." She whispered. "Apart from that the Square's pretty quiet.

"Why are we whispering?" Lauren asked her, grinning slightly. Katy pulled a face at her and shrugged. "Alright… but we've gotta get halfway across the Square without being spotted. We've got to walk right past Pat's."

They both glanced at Whitney thinking hard. Their friend still looked like she was in a daze. She wasn't really looking at anything; in fact she seemed to be looking through them at something that wasn't even there. Worried, Katy chewed her lip for a second before taking off her jacket and handing it to Whitney.

"Put that on and pull the hood up." She ordered. "Lor, give me the bag and take Whit to yours. Everyone will think it's me, yeah?"

She took the carrier bag containing everything Whitney had with her and nodded encouragingly. As her friends headed towards Tanya and Greg's house, Katy had to admit that, from behind at least, Whitney was not recognisable as herself and it could easily have been the Mitchell teenager walking with Lauren. Her hoody was so recognisable, mainly because she wore it almost all the time, which meant that nobody would think twice about it being her.

When Lauren and Whitney were safely inside Number 27, Katy watched Jodie and Vanessa crossing the Square from their house, waiting until they had walked past the Vic. Then she slipped out of the alleyway and went quickly to the door of Lauren's house, knocking softly on it.

"It's me." She hissed through the letterbox. After a couple of seconds, Lauren opened it and Katy slipped past her into the hallway. "Where's Whit?"

"She's upstairs." Lauren said with a sigh. "I thought it would be safer in case anyone came home."

"What are we gonna do?" Katy asked. Whitney really didn't seem to want to go home to her family, but they were worried sick about her. Lauren shrugged.

"Maybe if we wait until tomorrow and then ring Ricky or something?" She suggested. "Give her one night of peace and quiet before we tell them she's back."

"Surely it's better to just tell them straight away?" Katy argued. "I mean… if we wait until tomorrow she ain't gonna want to go back is she? You know what she's like… she'll probably be out of here before we know anything about it."

"Shhh!" Lauren hissed pulling Katy into the front room by her sleeve. She closed the door quietly so that Whitney wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. "You've seen the state she's in! I reckon maybe just one night of decent sleep and a good meal and she'll be alright."

Katy snorted. "It'll take more than that to make her alright."

"Yeah, well… whatever!" Lauren said shrugging. "We can't do anything else. Just… let's just leave it one night, alright? What difference is that really gonna make to Ricky and the others? We'll call them first thing in the morning."

"Fine." Katy agreed with a sigh. "But I'm staying over… if nothing else it'll make your mum and Greg stay out of your room."

x

Greg ordered Pizza for dinner and the two teenagers, despite Tanya's pleading, took their dinner up to Lauren's bedroom so that they could share it with Whitney who had waited upstairs. Almost single-handedly the teenager consumed a large Hawaiian pizza and a medium BBQ chicken one, as well as sides of BBQ wings and potato wedges. Tanya and Greg had raised their eyebrows at the amount of food Lauren and Katy had ordered, but hadn't said anything. When the girls left the room, Katy had heard Tanya muttering to her fiancé.

"I suppose Katy is eating for two… at least she's young, she should be able to get the weight off easily afterwards."

Lauren caught Katy's eye and they both grinned and started to laugh. Hurriedly they went upstairs and spread their feast out on the floor of Lauren's bedroom. Rather than tucking in themselves, the pair watched Whitney attacking the food as though she was half starved which, Katy assumed, she probably was. All Katy and Lauren managed was a couple of slices of pizza each and a BBQ wing. The rest was consumed by Whitney in record time.

When they'd finished eating, Katy helped Lauren set up the beds. They'd pulled the airbed in from Abi's room and blown it up. Then, without Tanya and Greg realising they'd taken the mattress off Abi's bed and dragged that into Lauren's room as well. Luckily Abi was staying at Max's so she wouldn't notice.

It was a squash in the bedroom, but somehow they managed to fit all three in. Whitney lay on the airbed as Lauren put a DVD on. She and Katy leant against the wall, stretching their legs across the bed watching Sweeny Todd, one of Lauren's favourite films of all time. Katy liked it, but she wouldn't have chosen to watch it. She had wanted Pirates of the Caribbean, just so that she could watch Johnny Depp, but Lauren had won.

"I'd better take the rubbish downstairs." Lauren said with a sigh as the opening credits rolled. "Otherwise they'll come looking for it."

"I'll take it." Her friend offered. "I don't mind missing the beginning."

Lauren grinned and Katy gathered up the pizza boxes and other containers. She carried them downstairs, using her bump to balance them on. Tanya was in the kitchen when she got there. She looked at her in astonishment, not able to believe that the two teenage girls had managed to finish all that food already.

"Alright, darlin'?" Tanya asked, looking at her strangely. Katy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah… Lauren's watching Sweeny Todd again… it was making me feel a little queasy!"

"I'm not surprised!" Tanya looked at the empty boxes and raised her eyebrows, clearly thinking Katy deserved to feel sick after eating all that. "D'you want a drink? A nice cuppa?"

"Thanks." The teenager sat at the table and rested her head on one hand, watching Tanya making the drink. When Tanya opened the fridge, Katy looked up eagerly. "Ooh… can I have some lettuce? I've been really craving it lately."

Tanya looked totally shocked that Katy wanted more food after eating two pizzas, ten BBQ chicken wings and a portion of potato wedges less than half an hour earlier. Wordlessly she smiled and fetched the whole iceberg lettuce from the fridge.

"Help yourself." She said as Katy ripped into the vegetable.


	151. Chapter 151

The next morning Katy and Lauren were both awake and up before Whitney. Katy jumped out of the shower; wrapping a towel around her while she started towelling her hair. Before she knew what was happening, the bathroom door opened and Greg was standing in the doorway in just his boxers.

Katy almost screamed and clutched at the towel tightly as Lauren's future step-father went bright red, mumbled something and closed the door quickly. The teenager jumped across the room and fiddled with the lock. It was then that she realised that it was broken and started to laugh, relieved that he hadn't come in when she was actually in the shower.

Lauren laughed so hard when Katy told her what had happened. Over breakfast Greg refused to look at her while Katy, Lauren and Tanya, who had evidently been told the story by her future husband, tried their hardest not to look at each other and start giggling. He soon excused himself and disappeared saying he was going to work. When they heard the front door close, all three women burst out laughing.

"He was mortified!" Tanya said through her giggles.

"That makes two of us!" Katy told her shaking her head. "I'm just glad he came in while I was drying my hair and wrapped in a towel!"

"And on that note I'm gonna go and get myself sorted. I've got a busy day ahead with wedding preparations. And I need to pop in and have a word with Jane." Tanya told them getting up from the table. Lauren rolled her eyes, but as soon as her mother went out through the front door, she went into the front room. Katy followed, wondering what she was doing.

Picking up her phone, Lauren scrolled through the numbers. Katy looked anxiously out of the doorway as she heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Hurry up!" She muttered, turning to her friend who was holding the handset in front of her, watching it ring.

"_It's alright, it's all clear._" Lauren said with a smile as Whitney appeared in the doorway. Katy smiled and moved aside, letting her friend into the front room. Whitney was wearing the only clothes she had with her; a t-shirt and a pair of jogging bottoms, and wrapped in Lauren's duvet. She looked uneasy, as though she felt totally out of place. Neither of her friends felt they could take their eyes off her, in case she vanished.

"You hungry?" Lauren asked as Whitney sat at the dining table. The older girl shrugged without answering. Lauren sighed and moved towards the kitchen door. "D'you want a sandwich? And a drink?"

Whitney nodded. "Water, please."

While Lauren sorted the food and drink, Katy sat opposite Whitney, staring at her hard. Whitney tried to avoid her eyes, but she couldn't. She looked back at Katy seriously, the same bewildered look in her eyes as had been there the night before.

"What?" She asked. Katy shrugged and shook her head. "By the way… have you swallowed a beach ball, or are you pregnant?"

"I'm pregnant." Katy assured her bluntly, not really wanting to discuss it. She knew she'd have to get over it, but every time she looked at Whitney she felt a stab of guilt over her betrayal with Connor.

"Oh…" Whitney said, almost sadly. The look she gave Katy confused the teenager, but before she could say anything else Lauren came in and put the sandwich and glass of water on the table in front of Whitney. She looked down at it and sighed.

"_So? Are you ready to tell me why you were arrested?_" Lauren asked harshly, crossing her arms and surveying Whitney, almost like an adult would look at a naughty child; a look Katy knew well.

"_Shoplifting._" Whitney said at once. Clearly she wasn't going to try and hide anything from her friends.

"_Around here?_"

"_Yeah._"

"_And what was that weird number you text me from?_" Lauren asked curiously.

"_Got myself a new phone, didn't I?_" Whitney told her. Katy guessed that Whitney hadn't so much bought herself a new phone as stolen it from some unsuspecting person minding their own business in the street.

"_Nicked it, more like._" Lauren said, echoing Katy's thoughts. Despite the situation, as Whitney gave her a small, sarcastic smile, Katy couldn't help shaking her head slightly and giving an amused snort. Lauren looked at her questioningly and was about to comment, when the sound of the door made them all jump.

"_Lauren?_" Tanya shouted. All three teenagers got very wide eyed and jumped into action. Whitney moved quickly between the door and the wall, out of sight and Katy pulled the untouched sandwich and glass of water towards her. "_You haven't forgotten Greg's cooking for me tonight, have you?_"

"_No!_" She moaned, annoyed that her mother had interrupted their conversation. To Tanya she must have just looked her usual, moody self.

"_Good. It's just, you know, with the wedding only a few days away we've hardly had anytime to ourselves…_"

"_Eurgh! Alright, mum, spare me the details._" Lauren begged, pulling a face. Tanya smiled and then her face changed and she glanced at Katy as well, taking in the food in front of her with further astonishment. She couldn't believe that the teenager was still eating.

"_Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted?_"

"_Yes, I'm fine!_" Lauren said quickly. "_Haven't you got a veil to go buy or something?_"

Tanya smiled at her, as though humouring a child who didn't understand the importance of something. "_You still worrying about Whitney?_"

"_Mum, just leave it._" Lauren said, glancing over her shoulder at Katy. In turn, Katy shot a quick look at Whitney who was hiding out of sight, holding her breath. Katy really hoped Tanya wasn't going to say anything horrible. Whitney probably wouldn't be able to cope with much more upset.

"_Oh, listen, darlin'._" Tanya said softly. "_You know some people; they just don't want to be helped. I mean, look at your Auntie Rainie, eh? Don't get me wrong, I know Whitney's a very sweet girl, but she hasn't exactly made it easy for herself._" Katy breathed a sigh, glad that the woman hadn't said anything worse. "_See you later._ Katy… you need to try and stop eating or it won't be so easy to lose the weight after the baby's born, yeah? Bye!"

With a rattle of her keys and a clack of her high heels, Tanya was gone. As the front door shut, Whitney slipped out from her hiding place. Lauren groaned and shook her head in annoyance. Katy's face was screwed up slightly at Tanya's last comment. But then she remembered that she hadn't actually eaten everything that the woman thought she had, so it was alright. Then she got a little worried that she was getting more and more like Roxy; increasingly more ditzy as time went on.


	152. Chapter 152

_**Thanks for the comments lovelies! I really appreciate them! :D Glad you're still enjoying reading about Katy and the crew :D**_

"_I'm sorry about my mum._" Lauren muttered quietly, mainly to Whitney, but a little to Katy as well.

"_I shouldn't be here._" Whitney said quickly.

"_At least stay for a bath and something to eat._" Lauren pleaded, looking at Katy for backup.

"Yeah… you may as well sort yourself out before you leave. It'll make you feel better." Katy agreed.

"_Or is heroin chic back in this season?_" Lauren added, almost spitefully, taking in her friend's lank, greasy hair and makeup smeared complexion. Katy glared at her and shook her head from behind Whitney.

"_Look… just don't say anything to anyone… please?_" Their friend begged. The girls exchanged a look, knowing that they couldn't stick to that. Katy crossed her fingers behind her back.

"Yeah, fine." She agreed reluctantly.

"_Yeah, alright, it's none of my business._" Lauren added.

Obviously satisfied, Whitney went upstairs. Lauren looked at Katy while she pulled out her phone, pressing the call button. She held the handset to her ear and waited impatiently for the call to connect.

"_Come on!_" She groaned as it went to voicemail. Katy could hear Ricky's voicemail message and sighed too, wondering how long it would take him to get their message and come and get Whitney to take her home. "_Ricky, it's Lauren. Look, you need to get over to my mum's house. It's Whitney._ She's here… she's with me and Katy, but we can't keep her here long."

The teenagers sat in silence as they waited for Whitney to come back down. They heard the hairdryer start up and realised that she must be out of the bath. Lauren winced and shook her head, glancing out of the window at the empty Square. Neither of them thought that Ricky would be here in time to stop Whitney vanishing again. It was up to them to stop her.

"_Could you lend me a couple of quid for the tube?_" Whitney asked, pulling on her jacket. She was impatient to leave before she could be spotted by anyone else. Katy and Lauren were looking at each other trying to work out how best to stall her.

"_If you wait a couple of hours, I'll get my mum to drop you off._" Lauren offered.

"_No, forget it._" Whitney said.

"_No, OK._" Lauren exclaimed quickly as Whitney turned to go. Katy shot her a panicked look. "_I'm sure I've got some money here somewhere._" Lauren turned and walked along the corridor while Katy dug her hands into her pockets and pulled out a few coins which she held out to her friend. Whitney took them gratefully. Her expression changed as she heard Ricky's voice outside, accompanied by loud banging on the door.

"_Whit? You there?_"

Lauren and Katy looked at Whitney, worried about her reaction. She turned on them, her features hardening.

"_You little cow!_" She spat, looking at Lauren, before turning to Katy. "And you… how could you do this to me?"

"_What were we meant to do?_" Lauren asked, begging her friend to understand.

"You need to be with your family, Whit." Katy added. "Trust me, I know."

"_Whitney!_" Ricky shouted from outside.

"_Please…_" Whitney begged, starting to panic. Tears were forming in her eyes and she grabbed her friends' hands pleadingly. "_Please don't do this, please…_"

Lauren glanced at Katy for reassurance. The Mitchell nodded, knowing that it would be far better for Whitney to be with her family, not to mention they could stop worrying then.

"_I'm sorry._" Lauren said determinedly, detaching herself from Whitney and moving past her to the door. "_She's in here, Ricky._"

Katy kept hold of Whitney, not wanting to let go. Her friend was shaking, absolutely terrified. Katy didn't understand why, why was Whitney so afraid of going home to her family? They didn't care what she'd been doing; they loved her and missed her.

Ricky came into the hallway beaming. He gave a sigh of relief as he set his eyes on Whitney and went to hug her. "_Come here! I couldn't believe it when I got Lauren's message._" As he reached her, Whitney shied away, not wanting him to touch her. Confused, Ricky looked at the other girls who shook their heads in unison, confused by her reaction.

"_So… where you been staying?_" Ricky asked, trying to move past her strange reaction to him.

"_It doesn't matter._"

"_What… and you're alright?_"

"_Yeah… I'm fine._"

"_Come on, then. Let's get you home, eh?_" He said gently.

Whit pushed past him and went out through the door without looking at any of them. Ricky was reluctant to let her out of his sight and followed quickly, calling his thanks over his shoulder at the two girls. Katy looked at Lauren and sighed.

"I'd better get going, too." She said. "I should check on Ronnie." Lauren nodded sharply, almost as though she was annoyed at Katy for leaving. "I'll catch you later, alright?"

As Katy walked away, she saw the front door of Number 31, where Whitney lived with Pat, Ricky, Carol and the kids, slamming shut. With a deep breath she walked to the house between the two which contained the flat she shared with her sister and Jack. She loved that her two best friends lived in the houses either side of her and now that Whitney was back Katy hoped things would get back to normal.

Well, she could dream, anyway.


	153. Chapter 153

_**Right lovelies… I need your help. I'm considering writing a follow-up to this… maybe set a couple of months later… about Katy and what's happening with her now. BUT I won't unless you want me to, so that means that you need to comment and let me know whether you would read it or not? :)**_

Ronnie wasn't in any sort of mood to talk when Katy got back to the flat. Apparently she'd had yet another argument with Jack and was just lying on the sofa staring blankly ahead of her. James was in his carry cot and Ronnie barely even looked as Katy lifted him gently out, bouncing him up and down as she looked at her sister.

"What?" Ronnie asked.

"You alright?"

"Yeah."

"D'you want anything?" Katy asked, trying her best to look after her sister.

"No."

It wasn't easy to make conversation with Ronnie when she was like this. Katy kept trying for a while, but in the end she gave up with a sigh.

"I'll take James out for a bit." She said brightly. "Give him some air."

"He's due a feed soon… don't too be long." Ronnie told her. Katy nodded and put her nephew into his pram.

"See you soon." She called over her shoulder as she headed outside into the sunshine. She hadn't bothered to put a jacket on because it was so warm. Worried that James would get too hot, she pulled his blanket down. Then, worried that he might be too cold, she pulled it up again. Then she groaned, tears springing to her eyes. Annoyed, she rubbed them away. Katy didn't know if she'd be able to look after her own baby; not on her own, anyway.

"_Jay's got his own job._" She overheard Abi saying as she rounded the corner of the gardens. "_Mates that can drink in a pub… I asked mum to buy me a phone cover the other day…_"

She obviously showed it to Lauren, because she laughed slightly. "_That's pretty._"

"_I'm not a kid, Lauren._" Abi snapped.

"_Yeah… and I never said you were._"

Katy stopped beside them, shooting Lauren a quick, meaningful smile. She put the brakes on the pram and leant on it, joining their conversation.

"What's up, Abs?"

"_Everyone still treats me like I'm a baby._" She told Katy in annoyance. Katy sighed, remembering all too well how that felt.

"_Being a grown-up ain't really that great, Abi._" Lauren told her. Abi pulled a face as though she didn't believe it. Katy hurriedly kicked off the brakes as they started to move.

"I can second that." She said with a sigh.

"_Jay reckons he's going to save up and buy himself a scooter._"

"_So?_" Lauren asked, unimpressed. Katy rolled her eyes.

"Jay says a lot of things."

Abi ignored Katy's words and carried on. "_So… when he does he's gonna want someone older, won't he?_"

"_Like who?_" Lauren asked laughing slightly. Katy met her eye and grinned, waggling her eyebrows.

"_I dunno… Roxy, maybe?_" Abi said. Katy burst out laughing at these words, remembering what Roxy had told her about catching Jay going through her underwear when they'd both lived at the Vic. She decided against telling Abi that, however, thinking it probably wasn't the most tactful thing to inform her of.

"Trust me… Jay doesn't stand a chance with Rox. You're safe!" She said with a grin. Lauren caught her eye and shook her head in amusement.

"_Well then you need to show him that you're a sophisticated young woman who means business._" The girl advised her younger sister seriously. "_Keep him on his toes._"

The next moment Jane appeared, asking to borrow Lauren's house keys, but Katy was too distracted by James who had started grizzling to pay any attention to what she was saying. Lauren linked her arm through Abi's and they walked away.

"You coming?" She called over her shoulder to her best friend. Katy sighed and shook her head.

"I think it's feeding time. I'll have to get him back to Ron. I'll speak to you later." She grinned at Abi. "Good luck, babe."

The younger girl smiled back and Katy watched as the sisters walked away together. Then she looked down at the baby boy in the pram and turned round, heading back to the flat. Inside, she was confused to see Dot sitting on the sofa.

"Oh… hey, Mrs B." She said smiling. "You alright."

"Yes, thank you, dear. I just popped round for a bit of company. Ronnie's just in the shower; I doubt she'll be long." Dot said beaming at the teenager. Katy lifted James out of the pram and handed him to his step-grandmother while she made his feed.

"We went out for a walk, but someone got hungry." She said with a grin. "I'll feed him then I'll get out of your way."

"Oh!" Dot said, looking up at Katy's offer. "There's no need."

Katy smiled at her. "There is… Ronnie won't talk to anyone about what's wrong, but maybe you'll be able to get through to her… you got through to me, after all, and that ain't easy." The teenager put the lid on the bottle and tested the temperature on the back of her hand. Then she scooped James out of Dot's arms as they heard the bathroom door open. "I'll be in my room if you need me."

As she sat on her bed feeding her nephew, Katy heard Ronnie go back into the living room. There was the low mumbling sound of conversation, but Katy couldn't make any of it out properly. When the bottle was empty and she'd burped him, Katy lay James on her bed and started tickling him. He laughed and she grinned.

The sound of the flat door slamming brought Katy out of her little bubble and she realised that it had gone silent in the living room. Where she hadn't been able to make out what Ronnie and Dot were saying, she could easily hear Jack's words.

"_Shall I come back?_" He was asking. Ronnie was obviously answering him, but she couldn't tell what she was saying.

It wasn't until her bedroom door opened and Ronnie, wearing her dressing gown, stood in the doorway, that Katy guessed that Dot had left. She threw her arms around Katy and hugged her tightly.

Finally, Katy disentangled herself and held her sister at arm's length. "What's wrong?" She demanded. "What happened?"

Ronnie shook her head. "I don't know… I just feel so guilty."

"About what?"

"Jack, the baby, you, everything."

"Ron… don't be silly." Katy tried to reassure her sister; keep her calm, but it was pointless when Ronnie had worked herself up. "Listen, go and get dressed and we'll watch a film or something, yeah?"

Ronnie nodded and went to do as she was told. Katy carried James gently back to his cot. She could tell that this was going to be a very long night.


	154. Chapter 154

"_Oh, Ron, please, come on!_" Roxy was begging, or rather whining, in the kitchen. "_Listen, it's Shirley and Phil's night off, one of the barmaids has called in sick and I would not ask, but it's Tanya's hen night!_"

"_I haven't been there in ages!_" Ronnie argued. "_I wouldn't know where anything is. And, what about James? If Jack's going out I haven't got anyone to babysit. Katy's going round to Lauren's._"

"_Dot can look after him._" Jack told her. "_You trust her, don't you?_"

"_I can't!_" Ronnie said, coming into the living room and sitting beside Katy on the sofa. The teenager looked up from her magazine and gave her a weak smile. Ronnie returned it reluctantly. The pair could still hear the conversation going on in the kitchen.

"_I told you,_" Jack was saying in annoyance, "_nothing's changed._"

"_Alright, alright, so she doesn't want to work all night, I can't blame her for that._" Roxy told him calmly.

"_I just thought it would be better when she came back._"

"_She'll be back to her old self, she will; she just needs time, alright?_"

Listening to Jack and Roxy talking about Ronnie was horrible. At least Roxy was defending their older sister. Katy reached out and squeezed her sister's hand. Ronnie squeezed it back tightly.

"_Well, how much time?_"

"_I dunno. Listen, I've gotta go. I'll see you later, yeah?_"

"Maybe you should work tonight." Katy said quietly as Roxy left. "Maybe it'll do you good?"

Her sister nodded, thoughtfully and, when Jack came back into the living room, Ronnie smiled at him. "_D'you know what, I think I will go out tonight. If it's alright with you?_"

"_Oh yeah? Why the sudden change of heart?_"

"_I want you to have a good night without stressing about me. You deserve it._"

"_There she is!_" Jack told James with a smile. "_There's the woman I married._" He laughed but Ronnie looked at Katy, not the least bit amused. Katy squeezed her hand reassuringly.

x

"I'll come with you, if you want?" Katy asked sitting on Ronnie's bed while she curled her hair with the straighteners. "I'll come to R&R on my way to Lauren's."

Ronnie looked at her in the mirror, a faint smile on her lips. "Lauren's is next door, sweetie."

"Yeah… I know." The teenager shrugged. "But think about it, Tanya and Jane are also next door… I dunno how much wine they'll have already drunk!"

Ronnie laughed and nodded. "Good point."

Getting ready to go out seemed to have briefly taken her mind off everything that was going on, but, even as she watched Ronnie in the mirror Katy saw her emotions change. She was sad to see the twinkle fade and vanish from the blonde's eyes and the haunted look returning to them. Hopefully a night in R&R would do her good.

"Right, I'm ready." Ronnie said at last. Katy smiled and grabbed her jacket.

As they walked to the club, Ronnie said very little. Katy made conversation as best she could, chatting about absolute rubbish just so they weren't walking in silence. Her sister was shaking, but Katy thought it was probably nerves and apprehension rather than cold.

"_Ron!_" Roxy cried excitedly as she saw her sister. "_You came!_" Both Ronnie and Katy were slightly dismayed to see Michael standing there.

Katy was also slightly disappointed that she and Lauren weren't attending the hen party; even though Katy couldn't drink. With everything that was going on she would have enjoyed a good night out. And she'd have been able to keep an eye on her sister. Most of the time Katy felt like she was the oldest and Ronnie was the teenager.

"_Oh, Ron, you look gorgeous!_" Roxy said as she moved to give Ronnie a big hug. As usual, Katy was completely overlooked. She didn't mind, she was happy that Ronnie seemed to be moving more towards her old self at last.

"_Oh, thank you._" Ronnie said smiling self-consciously.

"_You both do._" Michael said, eyeing Ronnie up. "_Me and Jack had better watch out. See ya, behave yourselves._"

He kissed Roxy goodbye and left, leaving the three sisters smiling at each other.

"I'd better get going too." Katy said, reluctantly. She gave Roxy a kiss on the cheek and turned to Ronnie. "You alright?" Her sister nodded so the teenager gave her a kiss too before leaving.

Michael was waiting outside. "I didn't think you were staying, I'll walk you home."

"Oh…" Katy didn't want to accept the offer, but she knew it was too rude to refuse. Roxy wouldn't be happy. "I'm actually going to Lauren's."

"That's OK. It's only next door, isn't it?"

Awkwardly they set off towards the Square. Katy didn't have a clue what to say to Michael and he didn't seem to want to talk anyway. He kept glancing sideways at her, which made the teenager incredibly uncomfortable. As they walked along Bridge Street, Katy had had enough of Michael's sideways glances. She stopped abruptly and looked at him.

"What?" She demanded. "Why d'you keep looking at me?"

"I was just thinking it was a shame." He said cryptically. Katy stared at him.

"What's a shame?"

"That." He pointed to her bump. Defensively Katy put her hand on it and narrowed her eyes.

"Why?"

"A girl like you shouldn't be tied down with a kid." He said looking at her.

"A girl like me?" Katy narrowed her eyes, not liking where this was going. "What are you trying to say?"

"You know exactly what I mean. Jack told me."

Katy's heart sank. "Why would he do that?"

"Because I'm his best friend." Michael said grinning. He put a hand on her shoulder. "So if you want me to keep your little secret from your sisters, you'd better be nice to me; very nice indeed."

Katy shuddered, angry with herself for getting into situations like this. In the shadow of a market stall, Michael bent down and kissed her. His lips were soft and, under different circumstances Katy would have enjoyed the kiss. But now she wanted to cry.

"I said you better be nice to me." Michael said in a low voice. "Right now I think you're just being civil." With a smile, he started to kiss her again. He put one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head, kissing her harder.

The teenager couldn't do anything but stand there and kiss him back, hating herself more and more. She didn't have the energy to fight anymore; she always seemed to be fighting. She was fighting for Ronnie. She was fighting for Roxy as well. And Lauren and Whitney. She didn't have any energy to fight for herself anymore.

He took hold of her arms, putting them round his neck. "That's better."

All Katy could think was what she would do if anyone saw them. She honestly didn't know. Eventually Michael stopped and moved away. Katy fiddled with the buttons on the front of her top, doing them back up hurriedly.

"You've got a choice." Michael told her. "Either I tell Ronnie… and now Roxy… everything… or we make this a more permanent arrangement." Katy looked at him, trying to fight away the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. She refused to cry in front of anyone, especially Michael. She had a horrible choice to make. She could either shatter her sisters' worlds by Michael revealing that Katy had betrayed them, or she could further betray Roxy, but keep it secret.

Katy knew what she should do; refuse and tell them herself. But she couldn't. Katy wasn't strong enough. She couldn't do that to them, especially Ronnie; it would break her heart and tip her over the edge.

"Think about." He said smiling at her. "Think about it and tell me tomorrow."

Katy shook her head. "No… I don't need to think. I'll do it. Just please, don't tell my sisters. And stay away from Ronnie."


	155. Chapter 155

_**Hello lovely people! :) Thank you for all the comments etc. Keep letting me know what you think!**_

_**I totally agree about Michael… I hate him with a passion. He actually makes my skin crawl!**_

"_Mum actually wanted me to join 'em._" Lauren said as Katy settled herself on Abi's bed. She was still shaking, but didn't want to let on to her friend that anything was wrong. Her night was spoilt, but it didn't mean that everyone else's should be too. "_Can you imagine? It'd be like going on a night out with them Loose Women._"

Katy grinned, in spite of how she was feeling. "Sounds like fun." She said earning herself a disapproving look from her best friend.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah… I really feel like getting absolutely hammered."

"Katy!" Abi was shocked. "You're pregnant."

"Really?" Katy snapped sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed." Then she sighed. "I wouldn't actually get drunk… I just want to."

Lauren shot her a suspicious look, trying to work out what was wrong, but Abi went back to applying a thick coat of lipgloss.

"_Nan's still got that scary look she had on my eighth birthday when she threw up all over my happy meal._" Lauren said, continuing the conversation. She got off her bed and moved across the room to join Katy on Abi's bed. She picked up the clothes laid out ready and smiled. "_Awww! You seeing Jay?_"

Abi pulled a face at her sister's teasing tone.

"_You know, dressing up like Jodie won't stop you getting ID'd at a bar._"

"_Yeah, well, we're staying in, actually._" Abi told her. Lauren looked at Katy with her eyebrows raised. "_And we need the place to ourselves, so could you go out? Please?_"

Lauren and Katy exchanged a wary glance.

"_Wait, you're not going to…?_" Lauren asked her sister, shocked.

"_Oh, what is the big deal? You're the one who said act like a sophisticated woman!_"

"_Abs!_"

"_No lectures, Lauren."_ Abi said firmly. "And there's no point you even starting, Katy, 'cos just look at you."

"Fair point." Katy said quietly with a shrug. She was the last person to give a lecture on saving yourself. "Just don't end up like me."

"_Alright, fine._" Lauren agreed. "_We'll go see Whitney._" She grabbed her bag and jacket, before pulling something out of her bag and handing it to her younger sister. "_Take it. Well he might not bring any; boys are pretty rubbish like that._"

"Seriously," Katy said as Abi took the condom off her sister, "make sure he uses it, yeah?" She patted her bump to illustrate the point. Abi nodded and smiled weakly.

"_If he steps out of line, you call me, yeah?_"

Abi nodded and the older girls left. Lauren sighed as they left the house, shutting the door firmly behind them.

"D'you reckon they'll go through with it?" She asked Katy. Her friend was a million miles away and jumped as she was spoken to. Lauren narrowed her eyes and repeated her question.

Katy shook her head. "Nah… anyone can see Abs ain't ready. Whatever she says, she's still a kid."

"I hope so…"

They knocked on Dot's door and she beamed and let them in. She explained that she was looking after James, but Whitney was in the front room. Katy and Lauren smiled and went in. Whitney looked pleased to see them, but she was still very quiet. As Lauren started messing with the TV, Katy curled up in the armchair, not feeling particularly sociable.

"_I can't believe Grandma hasn't even got a DVD player or cable._" Lauren complained.

"_If you ask me she's got the right idea._" Whitney said. "_I mean, all them channels used to drive me mad._"

Lauren started to laugh, giving up on the TV. "_You'll be taking up knitting next, Whitney._"

"_No I won't!_" Whitney protested, laughing too. They glanced at Katy, who barely seemed to register they were talking and exchanged a look. "_Listen, we could… we could listen to music._"

"_Yeah… Or we could go out?_" Lauren suggested. "_You're getting old before your time, sitting in here night after night._ And she's gonna be lumbered with a kid soon…" She pointed to Katy who didn't respond.

"_I hope you're partial to spaghetti hoops, Lauren._" Dot asked. "_'Cos I've managed to rustle some up._ Katy, are you sure you don't want anything?" Katy shook her head, smiling weakly. "_Now, have you found anything nice for us to watch on the telly?_"

"Nope… there ain't nothing on, Grandma." Lauren said making a start on her spaghetti hoops.

Dot sighed. "Oh…" Then she brightened up. "Why don't we have a nice game of snakes and ladders?"

There were no objections, mainly because none of the girls had any other suggestions, so Dot rummaged around in the cupboard behind the sofa and brought out the board game. She sat beside Whitney and set it up on the coffee table.

"Who wants which counter?" She asked.

"I'll be yellow!" Lauren said quickly. Dot and Whitney laughed at her eagerness and Katy smiled. They started up the game. Several times Katy had to be reminded that it was her turn to move. Every now and then her friends would shoot her a worried look.

"_One, two, three… oh no!_" Dot cried as she landed on a snake. "_I'll never get round the board at this rate!_" Lauren smiled, but Whitney looked bored out of her mind. Katy was barely focused on the game at all.

The baby monitor sounded and they heard James crying. The sound brought Katy out of her daydream and she jumped.

"_Oh, I'll go!_" Whitney offered, obviously keen to leave the game.

"_No, no._" Dot said. "_No, I'll go and I'll bring you back a nice cup of cocoa._"

"_Alright, fine!_" Whitney agreed, putting her hands up and smiling as Lauren pulled a face at her. "_Next time we're gonna go out!_"

"_Goood!_" Lauren said, leaning back in her chair. "_So how about tomorrow then, my mum's wedding?_" Whitney looked reluctant and didn't reply. "You have to come, Katy is, aren't you."

Katy nodded. "Yep… actually, I think I'm gonna go… I'm not feeling great. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

She stood up, not waiting for a response and headed to the kitchen, looking for Dot. The older woman was rocking James backwards and forwards gently.

"Hey… Mrs B… I'm gonna go home, I'm not feeling great. D'you want me to take James with me?"

Dot looked disappointed, but she quickly smiled and nodded. "Alright, dear, but don't worry, I'll look after James until Ronnie comes. You just concentrate on yourself."

Katy returned the smile and nodded.

"You make sure look after yourself. Night, Katy. I hope you feel better."

Katy smiled and walked out into the night. She hoped she felt better too.


	156. Chapter 156

Instead of going straight home, Katy walked as far as the gardens and sat on the bench. She needed time to think. One thing was certain, she couldn't stay here much longer if Michael did. The teenager needed to come up with a plan to get rid of him. And soon.

She saw a figure walking along the road opposite; a figure with a pram. Ronnie must have been to collect the baby from Dot. Katy was just about to walk out of the gardens and join her sister, when another figure beat her to it.

"_What do you want?_" Ronnie asked, glancing over her shoulder before speeding up.

"_The same as you._" Michael's voice answered. A feeling like someone had dropped an ice cube down her neck attacked Katy and she had to fight to catch her breath.

Ronnie stopped walking and, beside her, so did Michael. "_If you don't go away, I'm actually going to call Jack._"

"_No you won't. Why'd you run off and leave him holding the baby?_"

"_That's none of your business._" Ronnie said calmly. Katy envied her sister's ability to stay calm under pressure – or at least pretend to be staying calm. If Katy was angry, she was angry and that was that.

"_Alright._" Michael answered. "_Why'd you nick that photo of me? Why is it, then, whenever I'm near you… See?_" He moved a little closer to Ronnie. Katy wanted to go and help her sister, to make Michael go away, but she couldn't move. Her feet seemed to be rooted to the ground. "_You shake like a leaf._"

"_Just stop it._" Ronnie begged. "_Stop it._"

"_You still haven't rung Jack._" Michael pointed out. Katy was almost crying, trying to force herself to move, but she couldn't. If she went over to help her sister, the teenager was sure that Michael would tell Ronnie about her and Jack. Whether Ronnie would believe him, especially now, Katy wasn't sure, but it would certainly mess with her sister's mind. At the moment, that wasn't an option.

Michael leant in and kissed her. For a split second Katy thought Ronnie was kissing him back, but then she pushed him away.

"_You playing hard to get just makes me want you more._" He said in an amused voice. "_Night-night, beautiful._" He raised his hand and stoked her jawline. Ronnie flinched and stood, frozen to the spot as he walked away. She took several deep breaths, shuddering and Katy, as soon as Michael had gone, found that she could move again.

The teenager sprinted to her sister's side and held her tightly. Ronnie clung on, sobbing her eyes out. Gently, the teenager supported her sister and manoeuvred her and the pram back to the flat. She had to leave Ronnie outside while she got the pram in, but then she led Ronnie to the living room.

"Let's get you to bed, yeah?" She said quietly, trying to steer her sister towards her bedroom. Ronnie had other ideas. She clung onto the teenager, shaking her head.

"Don't leave me, Katy. Please don't leave me. I need you." She sobbed.

Katy sighed and rubbed her eyes, totally drained. Emotionally and physically she was fast running out of energy; soon she'd have nothing left. The teenager nodded and took Ronnie into her bedroom instead. She helped her, fully clothed, into bed and under the covers.

"I'll put James to bed and bring the monitor in, alright?"

Ronnie nodded so Katy lifted her nephew out of the pram and took him into Ronnie and Jack's bedroom. She quickly changed his nappy and put his pyjamas on, before settling him in his cot. Luckily, for once he went down without any fuss so Katy picked up the baby monitor and went back into her own bedroom. Ronnie had fallen asleep, curled up in a tight ball. Even asleep she looked terrified; her face screwed up as though she were in terrible pain.

The teenager got into bed, also fully clothed, and lay down beside her sister. She reached out and held Ronnie's hand; more for her own comfort than her sister's. As she lay in the dark, she repeated the same three words in her head until she fell asleep.

"Tomorrow's another day."

x

The next morning came much sooner than either sister had expected. Katy's alarm went off and the teenager rolled out of bed. She was in two minds about whether to wake Ronnie or not, but her sister blinked several times before smiling at the younger girl weakly.

"Thank you."

"Hey! What are sisters for?" Katy asked with a smile, knowing exactly what her sister was talking about, as she went to the bedroom door. "But we've got a wedding to get to, yeah? So hurry up, 'cos if we're late Lauren will actually murder me."

After showering, Katy made her way back to her bedroom. She could hear the shower running in Ronnie and Jack's en-suite and guessed that it was her sister who was using it. Katy quickly blow-dried her hair before turning the straighteners on and standing in front of her wardrobe, head on one side thinking hard. Tanya had a theme of pink for her wedding. Katy had seen Lauren and Abi's bridesmaid's dresses and Jane's maid of honour dress. The teenager had been ordered by her best friend's mother to wear a dress or else.

In the end she pulled out white, muscle-back vest and a short, tight, skirt with a pattern of hot pink flowers all over it. She assumed that when Tanya had said dress, she wouldn't mind Katy wearing a skirt instead.

By the time Ronnie appeared, Katy had almost finished straightening her hair. She smiled at her sister who looked absolutely gorgeous in her pink dress and told her so. Ronnie blushed slightly and swatted the compliment away, but she was clearly flattered. Obviously she, like Katy, had made her mind up to enjoy the day and forget about the events of the night before.

"You look lovely as well, sweetie." Ronnie told her sister, stroking her cheek. Katy pulled a face, one eye outlined thickly and the other about to receive the same treatment.

"Are you kidding?" She prodded her bump and shook her head. "I look like a boggin' whale."

"You look beautiful." The blonde said seriously, taking Katy's chin in her hand and looking into her eyes. "And don't let anyone ever tell you different, OK?"

Fully made up, Katy clambered to her feet, not easily in the white stilettos she was wearing. She stood next to Ronnie and they both looked in the mirror. The resemblance between them was striking.

"That's why I look beautiful." The teenager said in a low voice. "Because I look exactly like you."


	157. Chapter 157

"Come on!" Jack called from the kitchen. "You were the one moaning about not being late, Katy and now we're waiting for you!"

"Alright, alright…" The teenager shouted back grabbing her bag and phone off the bed. "I'm coming! Jeeze…"

Ronnie gave her a quick smile and the three of them left the flat. Max was jumping down the steps of his house, with something that looked suspiciously like one of Abi or Lauren's bridesmaid's dresses in his hand. Katy's just had a text from Lauren saying that Abi wasn't wearing hers, so the teenager was incredibly curious.

"_OI!_" Jack shouted to his brother, making his wife and sister-in-law jump. "_How's the head?_"

"_Yeah, great thanks._" Max answered, not seeming to want to engage in conversation with his younger brother. Getting closer Katy saw that it was definitely a bridesmaid's dress he was clutching.

"_Where you going?_"

"_Abi… she needs her dress._" Katy smiled slightly; mystery solved. Although it didn't explain _why_ Abi was refusing to wear it.

"_Wait, I'll take it round._" Jack offered. Ronnie and Katy exchanged a look; they were already running late.

"_No, you're alright._"

"_Come on, Max._" Jack reasoned with his brother. "_You think Tanya wants to see your ugly mug first thing on her wedding day? It's not a good idea, is it?_"

Katy glanced at her sister. Ronnie was looking behind them, a strange look on her face. Katy glanced over her shoulder as well, wondering what she was looking at. Her eyes settled on Kat Moon watching them from the window of the Vic. Although the Mitchells hadn't owned the pub for a while, Katy still found the thought of Kat and Alfie living there very strange. The Vic would always be connected to the Mitchells, in her mind at least.

"_Max!_" Jack called as the older man walked off. "_Oi! You're only going to make a fool of yourself._"

"You alright?" Katy muttered to Ronnie who was now looking down at the baby in her arms.

"Yeah… fine." Ronnie replied quickly. The teenager raised an eyebrow and her sister sighed, repeating what Kat had said to her in R&R the night before. Katy was furious, but Ronnie calmed her down. "She's grieving. Imagine how you'd feel if it was your baby who'd died and you saw someone every day with their baby, all happy and healthy. No, I don't blame her at all."

Katy saw her point and nodded, but she was still annoyed. She felt deeply sorry for Kat and Alfie, but that didn't excuse what the woman had said; in her opinion anyway. Nothing justified telling someone you wished their baby had died.

Jack turned around and looked at the sisters. He sighed.

"What's wrong with you now?" He asked Katy, noticing her expression. She just shook her head, trying to clear the anger that had exploded inside her.

"Nothing, have I got time to pop to Dot's and see if Whit's coming?" She asked. Jack groaned.

"Do you actually want to be late?" He asked.

"Gimme a break! I'll be like two minutes." She snapped, heading towards Dot and Jim's. After ringing the doorbell, she didn't have long to wait before Dot answered the door, beaming at her. "Mornin' Mrs B. You look nice."

"Thank you, Katy, dear." Dot said beaming. She looked Katy up and down and her smile faltered slightly. "So do you." She lied. Katy didn't mind, she knew Dot wasn't a fan of what she called 'youth culture and fashions' but the fact that she hadn't made a negative comment was enough.

"You and Whit are both coming to the wedding, aren't you?"

"'Course we are. Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Dot assured her enthusiastically. "Whitney's just finishing getting ready if you want a word."

"No, don't worry Mrs B. I haven't really got time. Jack's already complaining that we're gonna be late!" She grinned. "Just tell Whit I'll see her there, yeah?"

"Alright, see you later."

By the time Katy reached Jack and Ronnie at the car, Jack was already moaning about something else. Vanessa was stalking away from Max by the car lot and a very moody looking Abi seemed to be sulking in the passenger seat of her father's car.

"He'll never learn." Jack said, opening the car door and putting James into his seat. Katy rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

Neither sister answered him. A car drew up alongside them and Katy stiffened. Beside her, Ronnie did the same. Michael was looking between them, a look the teenager severely disliked on his face. His eyes moved over her, before passing onto her sister.

"Wanna lift?" He asked with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Ronnie glanced at Katy who was close enough to give her an unseen reassuring squeeze on her arm.

"_No, no we're fine, thank you._" The blonde said firmly. Michael smirked again.

"_Amy, Amy, Amy,_" Roxy was singing, leaning over to speak to her daughter in the back of the car, "_wave to baby James. Wave to him… oh look! Look, she loves him._"

Both the small girl's Aunts smiled as she beamed at her baby cousin. They gave her small waves as she turned to look at them, waving wildly.

"_We'll save you a place._" Michael said, looking at Jack. "_She'll want to sit next to her dad._"

"_Yeah, I'll see you there._"

"_See ya._" As he drove away, Michael looked pointedly from Ronnie to Katy, the same stupid smirk still on his face.

Katy shivered, unable to stop herself. Noticing, Ronnie linked her arm through her sister's. She assumed that Katy was reacting to what she'd seen between him and Ronnie the night before and what she already knew about him. She wondered whether she should just tell her sister everything, but now wasn't the time. Later, she decided, later she would tell Ronnie absolutely everything and deal with the consequences.

"Come on then, ready?" Jack smiled at them, suddenly in a good mood. They nodded, feigning cheerfulness and got into the car; Ronnie in the passenger seat and Katy in the back next to the baby. Absentmindedly the teenager bent over and gently stroked her nephew's tiny hand. James grabbed onto her, smiling. Katy couldn't help smiling back.

Jack chattered all the way to the Church. Ronnie joined in, almost back to her old self. Every now and then Katy would contribute something, but mainly she just listened. She was relieved when they arrived at the Church. Her brother-in-law got the pram out of the boot and Katy waited impatiently while Ronnie put James in. She was eager to go and find Whitney.

As Alfie approached, Katy spotted Roxy coming along the path, Whitney just behind her. The teenager excused herself, heading towards her friend. Her path was blocked by her sister, who beamed at her.

"Brilliant! Just who I was looking for." She grabbed Katy's arm and put Amy's hand into hers. "Amy needs the loo. I'm gonna go talk to Ron." With that she was gone. Katy looked down at her niece and sighed.

"Come on then, angel." She smiled at Whitney as she passed. "Toilet trip." She informed her with a roll of her eyes. Whitney returned her smile weakly and nodded.

"Catch you later."


	158. Chapter 158

After a tense moment in the toilets with Janine and her grandmother, who stared at the pregnant teenager with the toddler as though she was an alien, Katy headed into the Church. Amy was demanding to be carried which, if nothing else, meant that the teenager could get to her sisters faster.

They were sitting in a pew near the front of the Church so Katy, feeling completely self-conscious had to walk past everyone with Amy balanced on her hip. She heard several comments about herself as she went, but did her best to ignore them. Her first instinct was to turn and hurl abuse at the muttering strangers, but she knew that wasn't a good idea. Controlling her temper, she slid into the pew with her sisters.

The toddler demanded she sit next to her, so Katy sat on the end with Amy between her and Roxy. Michael sat on the other side of Roxy and every now and then the teenager could feel his eyes on her. She ignored him hoping, rather than believing, he'd get the message and leave her alone.

Kat came and sat beside Ronnie. For a moment, Katy had an urge to make a scene and have a massive go at the woman. Then she remembered what Ronnie had said and controlled herself. Kat had lost a baby. Putting a hand on her stomach her hoped she'd never know how the woman felt.

There seemed to be some delay. Katy was getting incredibly bored just sitting and waiting for Tanya to arrive. She pulled out her mobile and sent Lauren a text.

'_Where are you? Waiting is boring. What happened with Abi's dress? x_'

She wasn't really expecting a reply. Texting Lauren had been a way of keeping herself occupied. But, after a couple of minutes a reply came through, vibrating against the wooden shelf on the back of the seat in front. Roxy shot her a look as the teenager grabbed her phone.

'_We're waiting for Mum… she's on her way. Dad caught Abi and Jay watching telly in bed and went mad. They weren't doing anything but he went crazy and ripped her dress. He's taken her to buy a new one. If they're late Mum'll kill him. He's such an idiot. L x_'

Katy relayed the information to Roxy, whose eyes widened with interest at the gossip. A moment or two later the teenager decided that she needed some air; with everyone sitting so close to each other, Katy was getting hot and felt like she might faint. She slipped out of the pew and down the side aisle of the Church, attracting less attention than her walk down the centre aisle earlier had.

Outside, she leant against the cold stone wall of the Church with her eyes closed and breathed in large lungfuls of fresh air. When she opened her eyes, the car had drawn up outside and Katy wondered whether she should go back inside. But then the car drove off, leaving Katy confused. She caught Lauren's arm as her friend headed back inside. The bridesmaid jumped.

"I didn't see you there!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry… what's going on?"

"Abi's not here yet, so Mum's getting the driver to drive around for a bit. I'm just about to ring them and tell them to hurry up." Lauren told her, rolling her eyes. She noticed how pale her pregnant friend was, apart from her cheeks which were bright red. Her eyes narrowed with concern. "You alright?"

"Yeah… it was getting quite hot… I needed a little air. Don't worry about me; go and sort things out."

Lauren smiled and rushed inside. Katy wasn't left alone for long though. She felt a presence beside her and turned to find Michael smirking at her.

"Alright, beautiful?" He asked softly reaching out to touch her cheek. Katy flinched and ducked away from his hand.

"Are you insane?" She spat glancing past him through the entrance to the Church. Jack was walking towards Ronnie and Katy jumped at their proximity. The teenager hadn't even realised her sister was outside. She moved round the corner so that they were hidden from sight. "I told you to stay away from Ronnie." She hissed.

"I did." He said, innocently.

"Liar!" Katy said loudly. She caught herself and lowered her tone, her eyes flashing angrily. "I saw you last night. You kissed her."

"You jealous?" He asked grinning down at her. He leant against the wall so that he was in front of Katy with one hand on the stone beside her head, blocking her escape.

"No." She hissed. He grinned and moved closer to her.

"Shame." He murmured before leaning down and kissing her on the mouth. Katy didn't struggle, there was no point. Several options ran through her head; someone like Michael loved the chase. Once that was gone, he'd lose interest.

Wondering why she hadn't thought of it before, Katy wrapped her arms around the man's neck, kissing him enthusiastically, pulling him closer to her. She kissed him like she meant it. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, entwining with his and her fingers began undoing a couple of his shirt buttons so that she could put her hand on his warm skin. As they broke apart, Michael looked at her in confusion and Katy assumed her plan had worked. She raised her eyebrows in grinned.

The sound of pram wheels on gravel broke the silence and Michael jumped backwards. "I'll see you later. I knew you'd come round, eventually." He said with a smirk.

Katy's face fell as he slipped away. Putting her head in her hands, she sank to the ground.

"Sweetie?" Ronnie's voice made her jump. "What's the matter?"

"I've done something really stupid." Katy told her, tears spilling down her cheeks. "And I don't know what to do."

"What is it, tell me." Ronnie demanded, pulling Katy up off the floor and cuddling her tightly. She stroked the teenager's hair and kissed the top of her head. In that moment Katy felt as though their roles had swapped again and things were back the way they were supposed to be. Back the way they had been before everything started going wrong.

"I…"

She stopped talking as Kat approached them nervously. Katy wiped her eyes carefully, making sure her mascara didn't end up all down her cheeks and looked at the woman. All her anger had evaporated. Now Katy just felt sorry for Kat.

"_Hi_." Kat said nervously.

"_Hiya._" Ronnie responded. She looked equally nervous for some reason.

"_He really is beautiful._"

"_I'm gonna get him inside._" Ronnie said, turning to leave.

"_No…_" Kat stopped her. "_Listen… about last night… what I said… I had no right."_

"_It's OK._" Ronnie told her calmly. "_I understand._"

"_How can you? It was horrible. Wishing that on another woman… I didn't mean it. I really, really didn't mean it, Ronnie._" She took a deep breath. "_It's just that sometimes I get really low. You know, I think it's gonna be OK and it's not… I think things are gonna get better and they don't. You must know… you lost a child._"

"Kat…" Katy said, not wanting Ronnie to get more upset than she already was.

"It's OK." The blonde said softly, giving her sister a tiny nod.

"_Does it ever go away, this pain?_" Kat asked, almost pleading with Ronnie to tell her that it would be alright. "_Will it ever go away?_"

Ronnie shook her head. "_No._"

"_What, never?_" Kat looked so devastated that Katy wanted to hug her. She couldn't quite bring herself to leave Ronnie's side, though, and she severely doubted whether Kat would appreciate the gesture. Ronnie shook her head again in answer to the woman's question.

"_I'm gonna go inside._" Ronnie said, wiping her eyes.

"_No… look… I just wanted to say I'm really sorry._"

"_I'm really sorry too._" The blonde told her. Katy and Kat were both confused.

"_Why would you be sorry?_" Kat asked.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you it'll stop hurting. I'm sorry I can't promise things will be alright. I'm sorry I can't do anything to help." Ronnie said quietly. "So I'm sorry."

"_Thanks for being nice to me, I appreciate it._" Kat said softly with a smile. As she passed, she squeezed Ronnie's arm.


	159. Chapter 159

"You didn't tell me what you'd done?" Ronnie said as they started walking back towards the Church. Katy sighed, wondering where to begin. She decided to keep the Jack part out… for now at least.

"Well… last night, when I left you at R&R, Michael was waiting for me and he offered to walk me home." Katy started, choosing her words carefully. At the sound of his name, Ronnie inhaled sharply, looking intently at her sister, almost as though she knew what was coming next. "He came on to me."

"What?" The older woman gasped. "What happened? What did he say?"

"He said it was a shame. When I asked what he pointed to my stomach and said a girl like me shouldn't be tied down."

"A girl like you?" Ronnie repeated, confused.

"That's what I asked. I asked him what he meant and he just said that I knew exactly what he meant. I told him to get lost and to leave you alone. He said that if I wanted him to do that I'd have to be nice to him."

"Katy!" Ronnie gasped, looking at her horrified.

"And then he kissed me." The teenager told her with a sigh. "He's a bloody octopus… he had my buttons undone before I knew what was happening."

"Are you alright?" Ronnie asked worriedly. She was scared that Michael might draw up painful memories of Nathan. Her sister nodded. "Why do you get yourself in these situations!"

Katy shrugged. "I don't know. But then just now, just before I saw you. I confronted him about last night. He said he'd stay away from you and he didn't… but he just wanted to know if I was jealous and then kissed me again. Ronnie… I don't know what to do."

The blonde put and arm round her sister, holding her close while she thought. A look came over her face; one Katy hadn't seen for a while… a look of pure, steely determination. The teenager was strangely ecstatic to see it there. It meant that Ronnie was slowly turning back into her old self.

"We're going to get rid of Michael Moon, once and for all." She told the teenager. "I promise."

"_You got something you wanna tell me?_" Jack demanded angrily, appearing in front of the sisters. Neither had noticed him approaching and they jumped, wondering how much, if anything, he'd overheard. Ronnie glanced at Katy, who shook her head slightly.

"No?" Ronnie replied, confused. "What d'you…"

"_You're my wife._" Jack snapped at her. "_Alright, you're the mother of my child and you're off on some hen snogging my best mate._"

"It wasn't like that!" Katy argued, defending her sister.

"You stay out of this." Jack shouted, pointing at her. "I wanna hear what my wife has to say."

"_He kissed me._" Ronnie told her softly.

"_Oh what? You couldn't say no?_" He asked sarcastically. Katy opened her mouth to speak but Jack rounded on her. "Don't even think about it."

"_I… I think he got the end of the stick._"

"_What, Ron, so you didn't make a play on him?_"

"_No._" Ronnie shook her head.

"Jack… are you serious?" Katy demanded, unable to believe that Jack evidently believed Michael over Ronnie.

"I'm warning you… one more interruption…" He threatened the teenager, turning to her furiously. His fists were balled tightly and he looked as though he wasn't about to let Katy get the last word this time.

"And what?" She retorted fearlessly, bracing herself for a punch. "What are you gonna do?"

"Jack!" Ronnie said loudly as he stepped towards her sister, his fist raising sligtly. At Ronnie's cry, he turned to her instead.

"_Then something's gone on, Ron. Obviously something's gone on. When you went away was that because of him? Was he onto you?_"

"_No! No, I just said that to you, no…_"

"_Well how long's this been going on? You tell me, Ronnie, alright? 'Cos I wanna know the truth._"

"_It's not what you think._"

"_Then what is it? Because this isn't the woman I married, Ron, the woman I love… it isn't! Every time I look at you it's like you're not even there, alright, you're a million miles away in your own little world. And this has got something to do with him!_"

Tears were streaming down Ronnie's cheeks now. In an attempt to get out of the situation, she pushed James' pram past him, heading back towards the Church. Jack grabbed her arm. Katy fought to stop herself butting in, knowing that it would just upset Ronnie even more.

"_OI!_" Jack said angrily. "_I've got a right to know, alright, so you tell me. Please, Ron, you tell me what you've done because I need to know the truth._"

As a roll of thunder clapped above them and the rain got heavier, Ronnie walked away, sobbing. When she'd disappeared into the entrance of the Church, Jack turned to his teenage sister-in-law angrily.

"You'll know… she tells you everything. Tell me what she's done!"

"What d'you mean, tell you what she's done?" Katy snapped back. "Ronnie hasn't done anything. Like she said, Michael kissed her. I saw it. Ronnie was pushing the pram back from Dot's and I was in the gardens. Michael kissed Ronnie and was going on about how her playing hard to get only made him want her more. But she wasn't; she pushed him away. She was devastated."

"Why should I believe any of that? You two had plenty of time to come up with that story!" Jack told her.

"You are…" Katy was too angry to speak. "Why do you believe that scumbag over your own wife?"

"Michael's my best mate!"

"Your best mate blackmailed me into sleeping with him." Katy snapped. Jack looked stunned. "Oh yeah, it's true. Last night Michael gave me an ultimatum. Either I have an affair with him or he'll tell Ronnie about that kiss."

"What!" Jack stepped back slightly and Katy, although she was much shorter and smaller than her brother-in-law, rounded on him, her face livid. She jabbed her finger into his face as she spoke, signalling that she wasn't going to let him push her around anymore.

"And there is no way I'm gonna let him hurt Ronnie again, so I don't exactly have a choice, do I? And now you see what a horrible little scumbag your best mate is, maybe you'll start believing Ronnie."

"I'll kill him… Katy… I…" Jack had put his hand on her arm but she shook it off, completely furious.

"Don't touch me." She snarled. "You don't give a damn about me." Katy stamped over to the entrance to the Church. Ronnie was sitting in silence, but she stood up when she saw Katy.

"I was waiting for you… they've started." She told her sister in a weak voice. Katy nodded and grabbed her hand, still shaking with rage.

With her other hand, she opened the heavy wooden door and stood aside as Ronnie pushed the pram in ahead of them. Everyone turned to look at them as they walked in. Katy could see Lauren frowning at her, evidently wondering what was going on. Ronnie scooped James out of the pram and the sisters crept back to their seats. Jack followed them a little way behind. They were just in time to hear Tanya finishing her vows in little more than a whisper.

"_I will._"


	160. Chapter 160

As soon as the wedding ended Ronnie was on her feet. Jack was just behind her and Katy followed him, reluctant to leave her sister. She knew her constant presence at her sister's side infuriated her brother-in-law, but Katy didn't care. All that mattered to her was that she was taking care of her sister. Roxy sent a look after them, jealous of the closeness between her sisters. Katy felt slightly guilty that she'd swept in and become Ronnie's rock, but Roxy was so busy with her own life and Katy was always there when their older sister needed her.

Jack grabbed Ronnie's arm to try and pull her back but she shook him off, angrily.

"_Jack, I said let me go!_" She shouted at him. Katy saw Tanya and Greg walking towards them and pushed her sister out of the way, so they wouldn't get caught up in the procession out of the Church.

Roxy looked at her questioningly and Katy mouthed 'help' back. Her sister narrowed her eyes and shrugged, signalling that she hadn't understood. The teenager repeated her request. She caught her sister's arm and pulled her aside.

"I think Jack's finally pushed Ronnie too far." Katy said worriedly.

"What?" Roxy demanded. "What's happened?"

"He was just having a massive go at her and I think she's snapped. She's hiding something from him… I think… I think it's about James." Katy confided in her sister. She glanced around, realising that Ronnie had vanished. Without waiting for Roxy, who was at her shoulder anyway as she went, Katy dashed out of the Church in search of the blonde.

"_Oi!_" Roxy said, seeing Jack. "_Hold on, what is going on?_"

"_Nothing, I'm taking her home, that's all._" He snapped marching towards his wife. Roughly he grabbed Ronnie by the arm and started pulling her away. "_We're going home._"

"_Ronnie?_" Roxy asked, confused. "_Ronnie, what's happened? Ronnie!_"

"Get off her!" Katy hissed, pushing Jack backwards as he dragged Ronnie along. He pushed her hard and the teenager went flying backwards, stumbling in her stilettos and falling into Heather. The large woman caught her, surprised and tried to make sure she was alright, but the teenager brushed her off. "OI!"

"Just shut up, Katy!" Jack shouted at her. The teenager blinked, taken aback. Everyone was watching them now. "Just get lost, alright. I don't want you near Ronnie or James. You're a bad influence."

"Jack!" Roxy stepped in, putting an arm around her younger sister who was staring at her brother-in-law in shock. Katy buried her head in Roxy's shoulder, clinging to her as her strength finally gave up. She started shivering, feeling suddenly empty.

"No, Roxy." He snapped. "No. She's always there, putting her nose in our business, encouraging Ronnie's behaviour. I've had enough."

"Tell me what's happened?" Roxy said, trying to calm him down. Her grip on her sister tightened and Jack's eyes flashed. He was about to tell her when Tanya called his name, terror in her voice.

"_I'm sorry, Tan._" He said moderating his voice. "_I gotta go._"

"_Listen, there's been an accident. It's Max._" She told him, ignoring his words.

"_What?_"

"_And Abi an' all… They've taken them to hospital._"

"_What's happened?_" Dot cut in, hearing Tanya's words.

"_It's Dad and Abi._" Lauren cried, looking at Katy. The teenager immediately forgot her anger at Jack and disentangled herself from Roxy as she went to her best friend's side, hugging her tightly. She didn't notice Roxy's face fall as she moved. The blonde rubbed her arms with her hands, feeling abandoned as her baby sister moved away. Instead she glanced at her older sister for reassurance, but there was none; Ronnie was staring into space.

"_Listen, Jack, I need to get to the hospital._"

"_Come on, I'll take you._" He offered.

There seemed to be complete confusion; everyone was talking at once, trying to work out what had happened. Katy managed to work out that Jack was taking Tanya to the hospital, while Greg and Lauren were going back to the Square to find Vanessa.

"_Ronnie!_" Jack shouted. "_Come on._"

"_No, I'll see you at home._" She said, reluctant to go with him. She looked imploringly at Katy who was hugging Lauren tightly, rubbing her back and trying to calm her down. Then she looked pleadingly at Roxy who twitched and moved towards her.

"_You think you can squirm out of this? We've got a conversation to finish. You're coming with me._" He hissed. Ronnie winced as he gripped her arm, dragging her forward and stared at her sisters. The teenager disentangled herself from her best friend, promising she'd come and find her at the hospital. Then she nodded at Roxy who smiled back and went in search of her boyfriend and her daughter.

"You're not coming." Jack snapped as Katy ran to her sister's side, taking the hand that was held out to her.

"Wanna bet?" She hissed back. "Are you gonna make a fuss, now?"

He glared at her but said nothing more. They got into the car; Jack and Tanya in the front, Katy, Ronnie and James in the back. Ronnie kept hold of her sister's hand, squeezing it tightly every couple of minutes.

The teenager barely listened to Jack and Tanya's conversation. She was wondering why things always seemed to go wrong. Maybe she was bad luck? Maybe she was being punished for something. Then she shook her head, annoyed at herself for being so wrapped up in herself. The important people at the moment were Max and Abi. And Ronnie.

"_What if she's…_" Tanya said sobbing. "_What if Abi's… Sorry._"

"_It's alright, it's alright._" Jack said softly.

"_It's just… she's my baby._" Tanya sniffed. In the back seat, beside her younger sister, Ronnie exhaled deeply leaning backwards and closing her eyes. She squeezed Katy's hand so tightly that the teenager thought it was going to break. Confused, she glanced across at her, wondering at the strange reaction to Tanya's words.

After a minute or two they pulled up outside the hospital and all four jumped out quickly. Jack and Tanya rushed ahead, while Katy waited for her sister to get James out of his car seat. They went straight to the reception, where Tanya was already demanding to know where Abi was.

"_Sorry?_" The receptionist said. "_Name again?_"

"_Branning. Abigail and Max Branning._" Tanya said between ragged breaths. Katy shuddered, being in the hospital. She hated the atmosphere in the building; one hospital was exactly the same as the next. Ronnie looked equally uncomfortable, cuddling James tightly and looking around.

"_And they were just brought in?_"

"_Yeah… I think. I don't know… I had a call. I was told they were here. They've had a car accident._"

"_OK, take a seat. I'll see if I can find them._"

"_No! I need to see them now! I need to know they're alright!_"

Jack guided Tanya away, but Katy was focused on Ronnie, staring through the door to the maternity ward. Jack glared at her, pushing her roughly aside, before talking to his wife.

"_Ronnie, d'you wanna take him outside? Get Tanya a cuppa._" Ronnie nodded weakly and turned to go, before he added. "_And don't go anywhere. We still gotta talk._ You," he said to Katy, not even using her name, "go with her."


	161. Chapter 161

Katy followed her sister out of the reception area, glowering about how Jack had spoken to her. But even Katy knew better than to kick off in a hospital. Ronnie turned right as they walked through the door. Katy narrowed her eyes as her sister headed through the door marked 'Maternity'.

"Where are we going?" She hissed.

"I just need… I want…" Ronnie trailed off, looking at the room where she'd been when she had James. Katy followed her gaze, her eyebrows furrowing as she realised what she was looking at.

"Ron…"

"James… he isn't… James isn't Jack's son." She said looking seriously at her sister. Katy narrowed her eyes.

"What d'you mean?" The teenager asked, thinking there must be some other meaning that she'd missed in her sister's words. Ronnie wouldn't do that to Jack; she wouldn't lie about something that important for so long.

"James isn't Jack's son." Ronnie repeated, tears falling down her cheeks. "I went out one night… I bet you don't remember. It was just after you arrived. Well… a while later, just after Jack and I got back together, I found out I was pregnant. I didn't want to lose Jack so I told him the baby was his. But now…" She sighed. "I love him so much but I can't be with him… not at the moment."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I can't not." Ronnie said with a shrug. "It'll be so much worse if I tell him when James is older."

"_Ronnie?_" A woman in scrubs said as she walked past the pair. She did a double take, realising who the blonde with the baby was. "_It's Diane… I was your midwife._"

"_Oh… yes… I–I remember you._" Ronnie looked shaken at the woman's introduction, hoping she hadn't overheard their conversation.

"_How are you?_"

"_I'm good…_ you remember my sister, Katy?" Ronnie said, trying to deflect the attention onto the teenager. "She's pregnant now… fourteen weeks."

"Fifteen, actually." Katy told her with a smile, rubbing her bump affectionately.

"Wow! That's a big bump!" Diane said, taken aback. "Twins?"

"No…" Katy said stroppily, looking annoyed. "Everyone asks me that, but no. It's just the biggest baby in history."

Diane laughed. "Don't worry; I've seen plenty of big babies in my time. Your nephew wasn't exactly tiny, was he?" She turned her attention to the baby in Ronnie's arms. "_Is this our little man? Amazing how they grow! What is it… four months? Yeah, not even that! Aww! I usually only see them when they're newborn. He's beautiful._"

"_Thank you._"

"_So why you back here then? Is something wrong?_"

"_No, no. No, I just wanted to come back and see where my baby was born._" Ronnie said, making Diane look slightly confused. This wasn't the most normal occupation on a Friday night.

"_Are you sure everything's alright?_" The midwife pressed her.

"_Yep. Yes, I'm, umm… I'm going to go now. It was really nice to see you again._"

"_Yeah._"

"Katy?" Ronnie said, looking at her sister weakly.

"Mmm-hmmmm…" The teenager nodded that she'd catch her sister up. "I just want a word about…" She rubbed her stomach meaningfully. "I'll catch you up."

"I'll get Tanya's drink." Ronnie said, leaving the ward.

Katy smiled at Diane. "Don't worry about her. Her brother-in-law and his daughter were in a car crash, she's just worried about them."

"Ahhh." The midwife said with a smile, visibly relaxing. "So she's alright?"

"Yeah… absolutely fine." Katy lied. "I'd better go… see you."

x

The sisters were coming down the stairs into the main part of the hospital when they came face to face with Jack. Katy instinctively moved closer to her sister. Lately, with his temper growing more and more volcanic, she was starting to get quite scared of him. She knew that she'd had worse beatings than Jack would probably give her – but never while she was pregnant.

"_Ronnie? Where you been? I've been looking all over for you._"

"_I'm sorry._" She said quietly, cuddling James closer to her.

"_Yeah, well, come on. Tanya's in a right state._" He snapped. Ronnie turned and walked in the opposite direction to the way Jack was heading.

"_What you doing?_" He asked.

"_I'm going._" She answered simply.

"_Going where? I need to talk to you._"

"_No, there's something I've got to do, Jack._" She told him quickly.

"_Yeah, well, it can wait._"

"_It can't!_"

"_Ronnie, I'm serious. Now you need to tell me what's happened._"

"_Don't worry, I am going to put it right. I am going to put everything right._" She assured him. Katy sighed, closing her eyes. As much as she hated Jack at the moment, this was going to destroy him and she felt horrible. Katy didn't want to witness this; she'd rather be anywhere else. But that wasn't an option.

"_Ronnie, what you talking about?_" Jack snapped.

"_You don't deserve this, Jack. You deserve much better. I should never have lied to you._"

"_So you lied to me?_" He asked, his tone much colder and quieter than before. Ronnie shivered slightly.

"_Yes._"

"_Is it about Michael?_" Jack asked. Katy gritted her teeth. Everything always came back to him. Why couldn't he just get out of their lives?

"_No._"

"_Then what is it, Ron?_" He asked.

"Don't Jack…" Katy pleaded quietly. He shot her a furious look and she pursed her lips, shaking her head, begging him not to push Ronnie into telling him.

"_Jack, I've got to go._" Ronnie said, looking at her sister.

"_No, go where?_"

"_Back, OK, I've gotta go back._" She told him, confusingly.

"_Gotta go back where? OI! You tell me, right?_" Jack grabbed his wife's arm and pulled her round to face him. Katy, who'd been following the couple along the corridor, had to stop suddenly so she didn't walk into him. She didn't think Jack would appreciate that at the moment. "_If it's not about Michael, then what is it?_"

"_It's him!_" Ronnie shouted. "_It's about him, OK? It's about James._"

Jack took a step back. "_Ronnie, what about him?_"

"_He's not your son._"

"_What you talking about?_" Jack asked, stunned. He didn't believe the blonde any more than her sister had when she'd found out.

"_Jack, listen to me. I'm sorry, but it's true._"

"_No, I don't understand, Ronnie. What you saying?_"

"Jack, leave it!" Katy begged, pulling his arm.

"No!" He shouted at her, batting her off as though she was a rag doll. Katy stumbled again in her stilettos and crashed into the wall, hitting her head and falling. Neither Jack nor Ronnie made any effort to help her up so unsteadily, with one hand on the back of her head where it had hit the wall, Katy got to her feet.

"_I've got to go…_" Ronnie said again, looking around distractedly. She held out a hand to her sister and pulled her close. "Are you OK?" She whispered, barely audible. Katy nodded shakily.

"_What are you talking about?_"

"_I'm sorry, I've got to go._"

"_No, you can tell me!_" He yelled, grabbing her arm again. Katy was surprised that James wasn't bawling his eyes out, Jack and Ronnie were screaming at each other right above his head.

"_He's not yours and that is all you need to know._" The blonde told her husband firmly.

"_You're lying to me, Ron. You're doing this to hurt me… to mess with my mind. So, Ronnie, listen, look at him… look at his face… everybody always says this kid is the spit of me. Everybody knows he's my boy._"

"All babies look the same." Katy muttered unhelpfully, vengefully. Ronnie was crying now and, the sympathy that the teenager had had for her brother-in-law had evaporated.

"_Jack, I'm so sorry._" She tried to touch her husband's cheek but he slapped her away, furious. "_I'm so sorry. It's true. It's true Jack._" Ronnie nodded at Katy and started to walk away. Katy followed her, slipping an arm round her sister's waist as she sobbed, trying to support her – mentally and physically. Her head was throbbing from where she'd smacked it on the wall.

"_Ronnie! You come back here!_" Jack ordered. Ronnie ignored him, making her way out of a door and into the night. She headed straight for the car. "_Ronnie, where are you going?_"

"_Back! Back to the Square!_" She said as though he were stupid.

Jack changed tack, trying to be sympathetic. "_Alright, listen. I'm gonna come with ya, alright? I've just got to go and check on Max._"

"_No, now!_" Ronnie screamed. Even her sister was getting frightened by the way she was acting. "_I've got to go now._"

"_Alright!_" He said, trying to soothe her. He even glanced at Katy for help. "_Just calm down, alright? Just calm down._"

Ronnie took a deep breath. "_Give me the keys._" She demanded.

"_Alright, give me James._" Jack said.

"_Give… me… the keys._" Ronnie repeated, threateningly. Now Katy was really worried about her. She laid a hand on Ronnie's arm, but the woman didn't seem to register the contact. She was staring unblinkingly at Jack. He fumbled in his pocket for the keys and unlocked the car.

"_Give me James._" He said, handing over the car key. "_I'm just gonna put him in the back seat, alright?_" Ronnie nodded, handing over the baby. Jack opened the back door to put James into the baby seat. "_We'll go home and we'll talk properly. Alright, just be calm._"

"Katy, get in." Ronnie said quietly as she opened the driver's door. "Next to me."

The teenager nodded and went round the front of the car, getting into the passenger side. Jack finished buckling James in and closed the door, moving round to open the back door on the other side. Before he could reach it, Ronnie locked the doors so he couldn't get in. She was taking deep breaths and sobbing at the same time. Glancing at her sister she took her hand, squeezed it and turned the key in the ignition.

"_Ron, open the door._" Jack said from outside, knocking on the window. Neither sister looked at him, glancing at each other and then staring ahead. "_Ronnie, open this door. Ronnie!_"

With a final squeeze of Katy's hand, Ronnie put the car into gear, put her foot down and they drove away, leaving Jack shouting after them.


	162. Chapter 162

They got from the hospital to the Square in record time. Ronnie parked outside the flat and as she got James out of the car, Katy ran and unlocked the front door. Her sister went straight in and, as soon as the teenager was inside she locked and bolted the door so that no one else could get in; even with a key.

"Now what, Ron?" Katy asked dropping into the armchair. Her sister had calmed down during the car journey back, but she was still anxious. Ronnie was pacing the floor, holding James tightly.

"I don't know… we'll have to move out. Jack won't want us living here now."

"Maybe if you talk to him… he loves you and James… maybe he'll be able to forget?" The teenager said quietly. Ronnie raised her eyebrows. "I mean… I can move out… Jack won't want _me_ here… he never really did. I can live with Rox… or Dot? She's got a spare room, right? I bet she'd love the company and the help."

"Don't be stupid. Jack'll never forgive me, let alone forget what I did. Besides… I need you. You can't leave me."

"Ronnie…" Katy started seriously. "You don't need me. You just think you do. And I'd never leave you, you're my sister and I love you." Ronnie didn't look convinced at her words and Katy sighed as a text came through on her phone. '_Abi and Dad are fine. Where are you, come to the Vic. L x_' "Stay here." Katy told her sister firmly. "I need to pop out and see Lauren."

"Why?" Ronnie demanded. "Don't leave me alone…"

"Ron… you'll be fine." The teenager promised. She took Ronnie's face in her hands and stared at her seriously. "Max and Abi nearly died. Lauren's my best friend… I need to make sure she's alright, yeah? If you need me, phone me and I'll come straight back, I promise."

The blonde nodded as Katy grabbed her jacket and started taking the bolts off the door.

"Hurry…"

"I will… lock the door after me."

Outside, Katy hurried to the Vic. She knew Ronnie would be fine. Away from Jack her sister was almost her usual self, just a bit more clingy. Around Jack she turned into a crazy person. The teenager sighed, deciding to put her sister to the back of her mind while she was with Lauren. With so many people demanding her attention Katy felt drained.

Entering the pub, she spotted Lauren and Whitney at a table and made her way over to them hurriedly. She sat down, giving her friends a tight, one-armed hug. She winced as Lauren's hand clipped the bump on her head, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to make a fuss… it had been an accident, after all. And after Jack yelling at her in front of everyone at the Church she didn't want to cause him any more grief. He didn't deserve that on top of everything else.

"How are they?" She asked. Lauren smiled.

"They're fine… Abi's over there with Mum and Nan and Dad's at home. They were so lucky." She told her friend. Katy breathed a sigh of relief and beamed. "Where did you go? We saw Jack, but not you and Ronnie. Mum said you'd gone to get her a drink."

"Yeah… there was some drama." Lauren and Whitney looked eagerly at her. They were her best friends and before long the whole Square would know the truth anyway, so Katy decided to tell them the truth. "James isn't Jack's son."

"What?"

"Ronnie had a one night stand and found out she was pregnant just after she and Jack got back together. She was terrified she'd lose him, so she let him believe the baby was his. But he's been so… unsupportive and unsympathetic lately, and the guilt got too much so she told him. There was some drama and now she's hiding in the flat. I can't be too long."

"Wow!" Whitney breathed. She was still not her usual self, but she was getting there, slowly.

Lauren thought for a moment. "This calls for chips."

"Eh?" Katy asked, confused.

"We've had such crappy days that this calls for chips." She explained. Katy looked at Whitney, whose face broke into a wide grin, and nodded.

"Chips it is!" She agreed, sliding out of the booth. As the three girls walked towards the door, Katy spotted Jack walking into the pub through the other door. "Good timing." She muttered under her breath.

Katy, Lauren and Whitney walked out of the Vic, heading to the chippy. As they turned down Bridge Street and walked through the market, they overheard a snippet of conversation between two women with their backs to where the teenagers were walking.

"Isn't it just so… quaint?" One of the women said, her voice showing the tell-tale signs of an American accent. She was surveying the Square and the Vic, obviously impressed. "I've missed places like this… pubs aren't the same in the States."

"It's true…" The other woman said. "But I'd rather just find her and get out of here."

Katy rolled her eyes at her friends and they carried on walking, disinterested in the opinions of two tourists.

"I've had enough of Americans to last me a lifetime." Lauren said with exaggerated annoyance. "Come on, after the day I've had I need chips."


	163. Chapter 163

_**Thanks for the comments, sweeties, it really does make me smile when the notification comes through! :D **_

_**I'm really glad you're still enjoying it!**_

* * *

Two women, both looking distinctly out of place in the grey London scene, drew up outside the Queen Vic in a large, incredibly shiny four-by-four. They looked out at the pub with very different expressions on their faces. One, the driver, looked slightly disdainful, focusing on the commotion, the loud shouts from the market traders and the group of rowdy, teenage boys in the gardens. The woman in the passenger seat was looking at the scene as though it was something from a movie – her eyes took in everything, the traditional pub, the market traders packing up their stalls for the day and the people stopping to talk to each other on the street.

"Come on; let's find somewhere to park… I don't fancy paying the damages on this car if we leave it round here." The driver said. Her companion grinned and shook her head.

"Alright, sis, just get on with it, we've got a job to do."

They drove off and tried to find somewhere safe to leave the rented vehicle. It took a while to find somewhere the woman was satisfied with. She parked it in what she thought was the most respectable place she could find and left it, with a last, anxious look over her shoulder. The second woman tapped her foot impatiently. For her actions she received a glare and a flip of her companion's long, blonde, loosely-curled hair in her face. Then they made their way back towards the pub.

The taller of the two women, who had been the driver, led the way. She was dressed from head to toe in designer labels, which made her stick out like a sore thumb in Albert Square. She wore skin-tight black jeans, a loose-fitting white shirt and a red blazer jacket. Over her arm was slung a large, white bag with the Prada badge clearly visible on the front. Half her face was hidden by a large pair of designer sunglasses. Her stiletto heels, which had to be three inches tall, clacked as she walked along the road.

Her sister, the second woman, was shorter and had long, straight hair much closer to auburn than blonde in colour. She had the same slim frame as the blonde, but she didn't seem as upright and stern as her sister. Her clothes were more casual, but she still stood out from the locals. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans, a grey t-shirt with some kind of logo on it and a long white cardigan. Like her sister she had accessorised with overly large sunglasses, a Prada handbag and high stilettos.

They paused on Bridge Street, looking across the Square. It was getting dark and lights were starting to come on in the various houses. It had taken them so long to get here that they didn't have much time. The blonde was tapping agitatedly at the high-tech touchscreen mobile clutched in her hand but her sister was staring around, taking everything in.

"Isn't it just so… quaint? I've missed places like this… pubs aren't the same in the States." The red-head said with a sigh.

"It's true… But I'd rather just find her and get out of here."

They started walking towards the Vic, ignoring the laughter coming from a trio of teenage girls behind them. Neither sister had looked properly at them as they passed, disinterested in anything except their mission.

"Anna… put your mobile away." The red-head commanded. "It's not going to help us find Katy."

"Listen, Jo, you do things your way and I'll do them mine, alright?" Anna replied quickly. "Who got us here, eh?"

Unable to answer anyway except the way her sister wanted, Jo kept quiet and pushed the door open, going inside and looking around interestedly. They seemed to have walked into the middle of some kind of wedding party. The pub was incredibly beautifully decorated in pink and white. Everyone looked worried, however, and the atmosphere was unusually sombre for such a happy occasion. The blonde exhaled sharply and pushed past her going straight to the bar.

"Hi… I was wondering whether you've heard of Katherine Mitchell?" She asked the dark haired woman behind the bar, launching straight into her questioning. The barmaid surveyed the two newcomers with suspicion and they, in turn, looked her up and down. Anna assumed she must buy her clothes, though evidently chosen for the wedding that had taken place, from some kind of charity shop and thought that she had definitely overdone the makeup.

"Who wants to know?" The woman replied narrowing her eyes.

"I do." Anna said raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow and tapping her perfectly manicured nails on the bar. Jo stood slightly down from her sister, leaning on the bar and shooting the woman a broad, white-toothed smile.

"Can I get a vodka lime?" She asked brightly.

"Sure…" The woman, Kat, said relaxing slightly. She walked away from Anna, sending her a suspicious glare over her shoulder and started making the drink.

"I'd better get a G&T for her highness as well." The red-head said, nodding her head towards her sister.

"She a mate of yours?"

"Actually, she's my sister." Jo said handing over the money for the drinks. "She's not so bad when you get to know her."

Kat snorted as though she didn't believe that for a minute. "Why you looking for Katy?"

"So you do know her?" Anna asked, moving to her sister's side and lifting her glass.

"Yeah." Kat shrugged. "She lives across the square with her sister."

"Where abouts?"

Kat looked uncomfortable. She still didn't know who these Americans were and she didn't want to start giving out Ronnie Mitchell's address to random strangers, she'd been so understanding about everything; even when Kat had been deliberately horrible. She owed the Mitchell sisters. These newcomers didn't seem eager to tell her who they were, so the woman decided to play dumb.

"Near the car lot… I can't remember which one… hang on…" She moved down the bar to where Ian was standing staring at his mobile. "Any news…?"


	164. Chapter 164

_**I'm not ashamed to admit, OK well maybe I am a little ashamed, that I bawled my eyes out watching tonight's Eastenders. I love Dot so much and it made me so sad seeing her all upset :( Poor Dorothy!**_

* * *

The women watched her go and sighed at the same time, knowing she wasn't likely to tell them anything. Jo turned so that her back was to the landlady and raised her eyebrows at her sister. She sighed and pulled her sunglasses off the top of her head, flipping her hair out of her face.

"I think we should go and take a look around… see if we can't find someone a bit keener to talk?" She said before downing her drink in one gulp. Anna grinned and followed suit. They left the Vic and blinked at how dark it had got in the minutes they'd spent inside.

"There's some sort of café over there." Anna pointed town Bridge Street. "Why don't we see if we can get any information there?"

"Why don't we try that little store there first?" Her sister pointed at the Launderette. Nodding, Anna led the way, wiggling as she went. They passed Billy who whistled at them, earning himself a punch on the arm from Julie. Jo smirked but Anna just rolled her eyes, used to the attention.

"Oh my gosh, it's so cute!" Jo exclaimed inside the shop. "It's just like the launderette I remember from when we were kids."

The more cynical sister exhaled sharply before turning to the woman behind the counter. She gave her a warm smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder and playing with the arm of her sunglasses.

"Hey… could you help me?" She asked tilting her head slightly to one side and surveying her with a hard, yet friendly smile.

"What can I do for you?" She asked nervously over the counter.

"We… my sister and I… are looking for the Mitchells?"

"Why?" The woman demanded narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Anna fixed her with a hard stare, wondering why everyone seemed so wary of talking about the Mitchells. Jo managed to keep her features more relaxed and smiled at her. "Well… most people who come looking for the Mitchells aren't just popping in for a cup of tea." She said, by way of explanation for her tone, looking the two women up and down as though she was wondering what on earth they wanted with the most notorious family in Walford; they didn't look like part of the criminal underworld. Then again you could never tell. "Which Mitchell were you looking for?"

"The Mitchell sisters." Jo elaborated, remembering what Kat had said about Katy living with her sister. Karen had mentioned something about Archie Mitchell having daughters, but neither of her sisters had listened properly. They'd known he was bad news from the moment they set eyes on him at their 21st birthday party. He'd been just over fifty then, but neither Jo nor Anna could depute that he was incredibly charming and good-looking.

"They'll be at the wedding reception, in the Vic." The large woman told them. "Tanya's reception; that's where they'll be. Tanya's daughter, Lauren Branning is Katy's best friend. They're always together; them and Whitney Dean."

The two sisters thanked her and walked out, exchanging a look. Without speaking, they made their way over to the café. They'd already been to the wedding reception and there'd been no sign of the teenager.

Inside, Anna shot her sister a warning look, knowing that the more excitable woman was bound to make some kind of sound or comment to express her excitement at the 'cuteness' of the café. OK, so they didn't get places like this in America, but Anna thought there was probably a reason for that.

"Hey." She said smiling flirtily at the young man behind the counter. He did a double take as he noticed her standing there. Inwardly Anna sighed; bored of the effect she seemed to be having on all the men here. It was like they'd never seen a woman before. "Do you know where I can find Katy Mitchell or," she remembered the advice she'd just been given, "Lauren Branning or Whitney Dean?"

"Who wants to know?" A stroppy voice asked from behind the two women before the young man could answer. They turned quickly to see who was talking to them and their gaze settled on three teenage girls lounging at a table tucked into the corner underneath the large windows.

One had long dark hair with a purple tinge and heavy fringe. They guessed it was her that had spoken as she was looking at them suspiciously. She was wearing a short, white dress with a design of large pink flowers and a hot pink short-sleeved jacket. The look on her face, and her obvious attitude, didn't match her outfit at all.

Beside her sat another dark haired teenage girl. She had a stud in her nose and big hooped earrings. Unlike her friend, she looked warily at them. Jo noticed that she was clutching her mug tightly; so tightly that her knuckles were going white. The first girl put a hand on her arm, squeezing it in a reassuring way.

The girl sitting opposite them, with her back to the two women was looking down at her mobile, texting quickly. She had dark, almost black, hair scraped messily back into a high bun and large, heavy hooped earrings. Until she turned around they couldn't see her clothes. Both were staring at the back of her head intently, willing her to turn.

"Are you Lauren… or Whitney?" Jo asked with a reassuring smile.

"I'm Lauren… This is Whitney…" The girl said slowly, motioning to the pale girl beside her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jo and this is my sister, Anna. We're looking for our niece, Katy Mitchell and we were told she'd probably be with you."

There was a clunk as the teenager with her back to them dropped her mobile onto the table. Slowly she turned around and fixed her gaze on the two women. They both gasped as they looked at her. She had grown up a lot in the time since they'd seen her last but it was, unmistakably, their sister's daughter. She had bags underneath her eyes, eyes that were red – either from exhaustion or crying. She definitely looked a lot older than she had done… maybe too old for her eighteen years.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The teenager asked furiously. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her phone and her jacket off the back of the chair and walked quickly out of the café, pushing past the women as she went. They looked at each other and then Lauren and Whitney, astonished.


	165. Chapter 165

"Can't we just go to the caf?" Katy asked with a shrug, scuffing her stilettos along the road. It was dark and she was tired and worried about Ronnie… she didn't want to leave her on her own for too long in case Jack came back. "Sorry, yeah, but the smell of chip fat makes me gag…"

Lauren sighed and rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed that she was missing out on her chips because of Katy's strange pregnancy likes and dislikes. She didn't argue, however, more upset about her dad and sister's accident than the current food situation. Whitney made no comment, so they changed course, doubling back on themselves and headed instead to the café. Katy smiled weakly at the young guy behind the counter as she passed and went to sit at the table in the corner. She sat with her back to the counter, leaning against the wall. Whitney scooted into the corner opposite her friend, leaving a space for Lauren beside her. As they waited for Lauren to come back, Katy's phone beeped, signalling that she had a message from her older sister.

'_When are you coming back? Ron xx_'

Katy sighed. '_I'm with Whit. We're taking care of Lor. I'll come as soon as I can. xx_'

'_Please don't be long. I don't want to be on my own. xxx_'

Lauren slid into the seat opposite with a bacon sandwich and three mugs of tea, one of which she slid across the table to her friend and the other she handed to Whitney. Katy took it gratefully, wondering how Lauren had carried it all, and did her best to avert her gaze from Lauren's food.

"You alright?" Katy asked.

"Yeah… they're fine, aren't they. There's no point freaking myself out thinking about what could have happened, right?" She said with a shrug. "You?" She'd noticed the phone clutched in Katy's hand.

"Yeah… I can't be long, she's freaking out about being on her own."

"Is she OK?" The younger girl asked worriedly. She was happy to be talking about her best friend's issues, rather than thinking about her dad and Abi in the car crash. She snapped out of it; if she thought about it too much she'd be crying into her tea. And that wasn't the Lauren Branning way.

"I don't know!" Katy said quietly. "I really don't know."

Lauren and Whitney tried to think of something to say as Katy started typing a reply to her sister. She heard someone saying her name and looked up quickly. It was the two Americans from earlier. They were standing at the counter asking Ian whether he knew where they could find Lauren, Whitney or Katy.

"Who wants to know?" She asked suspiciously. They turned quickly at her words, looking her up and down. Both were dressed from head to toe in designer labels, Lauren could tell that without looking closely. They were also both clutching designer bags and using designer sunglasses to hold their hair messily back from their faces, even though it was dark outside. The blonde woman was looking her up and down carefully but the red-head was smiling brightly at her.

Whitney tensed. Lauren put a reassuring hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze. The teenager still definitely wasn't herself but slowly, very slowly, she was getting back to normal. For now, though, her best friends were doing whatever they could to keep her feeling safe.

"Are you Lauren… or Whitney?" The smiling woman asked.

"I'm Lauren… This is Whitney…" Lauren said, unsure whether she should be admitting that fact. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jo and this is my sister, Anna." She said. The names rang a bell in Lauren's mind and she desperately tried to remember where she'd heard them before. "We're looking for our niece, Katy Mitchell and we were told she'd probably be with you." The penny suddenly dropped and Lauren's eyes snapped to Katy's face. The colour had drained from it and she was looking shocked. Her phone slipped out of her head, the sending icon still on the screen.

Slowly the teenager turned to look at her Aunts. They were the same as she remembered, perhaps slightly more tanned. But the question that was running through her mind slipped out of her mouth without her thinking.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Katy demanded. She didn't wait around for the answer. Grabbing her stuff she fled from the café, brushing past her Aunts in her hurry to get outside into the fresh air. She needed her sisters and she needed them now. She had a choice, Roxy would be at the Vic and Ronnie... well, she thought Ronnie was at the flat.

"Katy!" Lauren had come running out into the street behind her. She grabbed her friend's arm, pulling her round. "What's going on?"

"You tell me!" Katy cried. "I haven't seen them since the funeral and now they just turn up out of the blue with flamin' American accents…"

She turned and started walking away through the darkness towards the flat. Behind her she could hear the clacking of stilettos which told her that the two women were heading after her as fast as they could. Katy kicked off her own high heels, cursing her short skirt. She cut through the gardens and it was there that they finally caught up with her.

"Katy… honey, wait." Jo called, catching her first. "Listen, we just want to talk."

"Well I don't want to." The teenager snapped sulkily. Lauren and Whitney had been distracted, Tanya had turned up and then teenager had immediately forgotten about Katy being chased by strange Americans and pulled Whitney with her when she'd gone to her mother. Katy didn't blame her; she'd have done exactly the same. She pulled her arm out of the woman's grip and moved more quickly. She crossed the road, heading towards the house and caught sight of Ronnie pushing James's pram towards her. The teenager guessed she'd been coming to look for her.

"Well you need to." Anna ordered, grabbing the teenager's arm tightly and dragging her backwards. She gripped the top of Katy's arms and her false nails dug in.

"Get off me!" Katy shouted, struggling.

"OI!" Ronnie screamed, leaving James's pram at the bottom of the flat steps and running across to help her sister. She dragged the taller woman off the teenager and put a protective arm around Katy, who clutched at Ronnie's arm. "Leave her alone." The teenager was relieved to see Ronnie back to normal, her fierce loyalty kicking back into action at the sight of her sister in trouble.

"Look, this really isn't any of your business." Jo said trying to calm her sister down. "Don't worry, we won't hurt her!"

"What d'you mean it ain't my business? She's my sister, course it's my business." Ronnie hissed furiously.

"Oh!" Jo smiled and held out her hand. "So you're Katy's sister. Roxy isn't it?"

"Ronnie…" The blonde was clearly confused by what was going on and she looked at Katy for some kind of explanation. When it became clear that the teenager was reluctant to give her one, she turned to the women for answers. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jo, Joanna Williams. This is my sister Anna Levy. We're Katy's Aunts."


	166. Chapter 166

_**Hello, lovely people! This is the penultimate part of Katy's story! I just wanted to say thank you so SO much to everyone who's read, commented, favourited and subscribed to this story! It means a lot! :D **_

_**Hope you enjoy this part... let me know! **_

_**xxx**_

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"Why didn't you tell me you had Aunts." Ronnie hissed as she and Katy made mugs of tea in the tiny kitchen of the flat. The two women were fussing over James in the living room. Rather than answering, Katy just shrugged.

"He's gorgeous." Anna said as Ronnie came back into the living room. "How old is he?"

"Four months." Ronnie said, smiling down at her son. Then she looked up at the women. "So… how can we help you?"

"We came to see Katy, to make sure she was alright."

"After a year?" The teenager asked scathingly. "And what's with the accents?"

"Oh… we live in California now." Jo said with a smile. "We were in the process of moving before Karen… before the… well, the last time we saw you."

"You mean before my Mam killed herself? Before the funeral?" Katy asked bluntly, realising that Jo couldn't bring herself to say the words. Ronnie squeezed her hand and shot her a look. Instead of apologizing, Katy set her jaw and glared at the woman.

"You haven't changed much." Anna said, raising an eyebrow and trying to change the subject. "You look older. And you're still wearing all that eye makeup I see." She said, commenting on Katy's eyeliner and mascara. "I'm surprised you can open your eyes." Katy exhaled sharply in annoyance. "But it does suit you." Anna added almost reluctantly, making the teenager smirk with triumph, feeling as though she'd won a battle.

"Ronnie must be feeding you well; you've certainly put on a lot of weight. You were always too skinny." Jo added with a smile.

"I'm pregnant; fifteen weeks." Katy told her directly. Jo and Anna looked as though they might fall off the sofa with shock. "Can't you tell?"

She stood up and unzipped her hoody. Underneath she was still wearing the outfit she'd worn to Tanya and Greg's wedding. In the tight fitting white vest, her bump was clearly visible. Her mother's sisters clearly didn't know how to respond to this announcement.

x

"We wanted to ask you to come and live with us, in California." Jo said slowly, not taking her eyes off Katy's stomach.

"But now you've changed your mind?" Katy asked, not sounding at all surprised. "Wild teenager mother doesn't really fit in with your image, does it? Worried I might lead your kids astray?" She knew she was being rude, Ronnie's expression was telling her to tone it down, but she didn't care. She was tired and she was angry and she was upset and she was worried. And she wasn't in the mood to be patronised.

"Don't be stupid, Katy." Anna snapped. "Of course we still want you to come over. You being pregnant doesn't change that."

Katy was taken aback by this. She'd expected the women to run a mile when they saw the truth. Warily, the teenager glanced at her sister, who shrugged. Ronnie's face was expressionless, but Katy could tell what she was thinking; she was going to lose her sister. Who would chose Walford over California?

"Why now?" She asked, confused.

"We were going to ask you at the funeral." Anna said softly. "But Mrs Wilson made it very clear that you were going to live with her. We thought that maybe that was for the best – not uprooting you from everything you knew. It was difficult enough for you without moving to another country."

"So we left it." Jo continued. "Then we heard that Mrs Wilson had died so we came looking for you. We went to the old house, but the neighbours said you'd come down to London looking for your Dad. Did you find him?"

"He died." Katy said bluntly. "A couple of weeks after mam."

"Oh… I can't say I'm sorry." Anna said with a shrug. "No offence." She added, looking at Ronnie.

"None taken." The blonde assured her. "I couldn't stand him."

"So… the offer's there." Jo said looking at Katy. "If you want to come and stay in the US with us."

Katy hesitated, chewing on her lip. The offer sounded far too good to refuse. But she couldn't leave her sisters, especially Ronnie, especially now. The teenager glanced at the blonde, silently asking for her opinion. Ronnie looked back blankly.

"I'd love to… I really would." She said at last. "But I can't… I won't… leave Ronnie. She needs me."

"Ronnie's more than welcome too. And Roxy if she wants to come. We've got more than enough space for all of you." Jo said with a broad grin. Ronnie's eyes widened at the idea. She looked at Katy thoughtfully.

"Can we have a moment or two to discuss it?" She asked looking at her younger sister. Jo and Anna nodded and stood up.

"Of course. We'll give you some space. You'll find us in that lovely little pub when you're ready. I love a wedding." Jo said leading the way out of the flat.

When they'd gone, Ronnie turned to Katy one hand over her mouth. "What do you think?"

"I think it's crazy!" Katy said seriously. "We can't just uproot ourselves and move to America!"

"Why not? There's nothing to keep us here." Ronnie said with a shrug. "You, me, Rox, Amy, James and your baby… a whole new life away from here. That's all we need; each other… no one else. We'll get away from the memories; all the bad stuff that's following us around."

"What if Rox won't come?" Katy asked tearfully. She couldn't stand the idea of leaving her sister here. "We can't just abandon her."

Ronnie sighed. "If Rox won't come then it'll just be you and me, sweetie. Roxy's a big girl; she can look after herself."

"Well… what about Jack?"

"It's over." Ronnie said quietly. "There's nothing more to fight for. Not know he knows he's not James' dad."

Katy breathed deeply, looking at her, her eyes threatening to fill with tears. Then she took a final deep breath, taking in Ronnie's determined expression. "I guess we're moving to California then."

Ronnie beamed. "Let's go and tell Rox!"

x

"Are you crazy?" Roxy demanded once they'd filled her in about their plan. They'd tracked her down in the Vic and dragged her away from Michael long enough to talk to her. "You can't just move to America on the spur of the moment. You have a four month old son, Ron and Katy… you're pregnant. You don't need the stress!"

"Come with us, Rox." Ronnie pleaded. "You'll love it, you know you will. Us and our kids in California; everything's so much more relaxed."

Roxy hesitated; thinking about how much more suited to her the Californian lifestyle would be than living in East London in a tiny flat. It was incredibly tempting, but Roxanne Mitchell had finally grown up. She shook her head.

"I've got responsibilities, Ronnie… just like you have. What about Jack?"

"What about him? It's over. There's nothing more to say."

"What, so you're just gonna disappear off into the sunset with his son?" Roxy asked in disbelief. Ronnie shrugged. "He's not just gonna let you take him."

"James isn't his son." She said casually. Roxy's mouth dropped open.

"What?" She breathed, unable to believe what she'd just heard.

"James isn't Jack's son. I told him… that's why he dragged me away from the wedding."

"Who is James' dad, then?" Roxy asked.

"Just some guy… I don't even know his name." Ronnie shrugged.

Roxy looked as though she was refusing to believe what her sister was saying. She changed tack, targeting her younger sister instead. "And Katy… what are you going to do? You're insane, the pair of you."

"So you're not coming?" Ronnie asked in a hard voice.

"No!"

"Well… we'll come and say goodbye, but right now we've got packing to do." Ronnie headed out of the door. With a look over her shoulder, Katy followed. She wished that Roxy would change her mind and come with them but she doubted she would.

"Come on." She said, slightly more subdued than before they'd been to see Roxy. "Let's go and pack before we tell my Aunts what's happening."


	167. Chapter 167

The sisters packed the bare necessities. Jo and Anna had assured them that they'd be able to get whatever else they needed as soon as they landed. Anna had pulled a few strings and got them on the same flight as her and Jo that night. Ronnie was keen to leave as soon as possible. Katy, on the other hand, was more reluctant. She didn't know what to do about her midwife appointments. Her Aunts and sister assured her that she could have them in California. Feeling guilty, for just abandoning her midwife after how supportive she'd been, Katy sent Anna a text explaining why she wouldn't be at her appointments.

Then she piled her bags in the living room and went outside. She had to find her friends; Lauren and Whitney needed an explanation, rather than her just vanishing and leaving them.

"Hey." She said with a weak smile, sliding into a seat in the Vic and looking at them.

"Alright?" Lauren asked curiously. "What was all that about, with your Aunts?"

"They want me to go and live with them."

"What? Just out of the blue like that? After everything? What did you say?" Whitney asked. Lauren had obviously filled her in on everything that Katy had told her about Anna and Jo.

"I said yes." Katy said, wincing as she predicted the response from her best friends. Both of their mouths fell open and there was a moment's silence as they took in what she'd said. Then, at the same time, they both started asking questions and demanding answers. "Wait!" Katy said holding up her hands. "Listen!"

"Why did you say yes?" Whitney looked hurt and a little lost, as though she thought that Katy was abandoning her.

"I did it for Ronnie, more than anything. She needs to get away and I couldn't leave her. After everything… there are so many memories here. There are so many things that have happened that I just want to forget."

"You've only been here a year!" Lauren snapped.

"Yes… but think about that year." Katy replied quietly with a small shudder. The other two pulled faces, showing that they agreed. The last year had been pretty tough for all of them.

"So you're going to California." Lauren said more brightly after a couple of moments silence where all three of them remembered all the bad things that had happened to them over the past year. "Does this mean I don't get to be Godmother after all?"

Katy grinned, realising that the atmosphere had been significantly lightened. "Don't be silly. With a family like mine, Ruby's gonna need you two!"

"You decided on Ruby?" Whitney said, breaking into a wide grin. Katy nodded.

"Uh-huh… Ruby Margaret Karen Mitchell. A big name for a little kid in true Mitchell style." The Mitchell said with a grin. "But you're both gonna make amazing Godmothers. We'll come back and see you as soon as we can, OK?" She promised. The three of them hugged each other tightly. From behind them there was a small cough and Katy turned to see Ronnie and her Aunts standing there.

"You ready?" Jo asked with a smile. Katy gave her friends one last look and then nodded.

"I'll see you soon, girls. Say goodbye to everyone for me." She said. "Stay cool."

Lauren and Whitney grinned and followed the four women out of the Vic and over to the hire car which was parked outside. Ronnie was cuddling James tightly and Jo and Anna were watching Phil loading the luggage into the boot. Phil slammed it shut, stepping backwards onto the pavement next to Shirley and nodded at his blonde cousin who gave him a weak smile in return. Then Ronnie gently put James into the car seat which was already fixed in the back of the car.

With a last wave to Lauren and Whitney, Katy walked round the car and opened the door behind the driver's door. With her Aunts already in the front seats, Anna driving and Jo beside her, Katy glanced at Ronnie who gave her a reassuring smile and a nod.

Both sisters were about to get in, when they heard a familiar shout from behind them. They turned to see Roxy staring at them, Amy balanced on her hip.

"Are you planning on leaving without saying goodbye?" She demanded, raising an eyebrow. Both Ronnie and Katy had to fight hard to make sure they didn't cry. They ran towards her and the Mitchell females hugged each other tightly. None of them could bring themselves to let go.

"We'll be back soon." Ronnie whispered. "We're going to escape the memories but you know as well as I do… Albert Square's home. No one can stay away for long."

"Ronnie, Katy honey," Jo called, leaning out of the car, "we've gotta get going if we're gonna catch our flight."

Ronnie nodded at the woman before turning back to her younger sister and niece. She stroked Amy's head before putting her hand gently on Roxy's cheek. "Look after yourself, sweetie. I love you."

Then she turned and walked back to the car, shutting the door firmly once she was inside. Katy looked at Roxy tearfully.

"I'm gonna miss you, trouble." Roxy said, her voice cracking with emotion.

"I'm gonna miss you too."

"See you soon, yeah? We love you." She said, jiggling her daughter up and down slightly to stop her crying. The toddler knew something big was happening, even if she didn't understand what.

Katy nodded and retreated to the car before she started crying too. As soon as her door was shut, Anna started the engine and the car moved slowly away from the Vic. Katy held Ronnie's hand tightly and looked through the rear window as they gathered speed. They rounded the corner and the Square vanished from sight. A lump formed in the teenager's throat and she put one hand on her stomach.

They might be leaving Walford for a while, but she was sure they'd be back before she knew it. As Ronnie said, no one could stay away for too long.

– **The End –**

* * *

_**So lovelies, that's it! Ronnie, James, Katy and the bump (from now on known as Ruby) have left Walford for sunny California and a fresh start! **_

_**I need to ask you a question that requires an answer... would you want to read more? Maybe set a few months after this? Comment and let me know! **_

_**I miss Katy already! **_

_**Becki xxx**_


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